The details emerging out of Pakistan are still somewhat sketchy but some facts are clear; more than 30 people are dead and over 115 injured. The Chief Justice of Pakistan was unable to address the Sindh Bar Association and was forced to go back to Islamabad and the private television station Aaj TV, which has been in the forefront of covering pro-judiciary and anti-Musharraf protests, was attacked by armed gunmen. This is indeed another dark day in the checkered political history of Pakistan.
It is now well past time for the Musharraf regime to go. This government has now lost the last shreds of moral authority required to govern. I salute the men and women of the civil society of Pakistan and the courageous independent media who are leading this struggle for the supremacy of the law and freedom of expression at grave risk to their life and limb.
As tragic and sad as events in Karachi are, this political moment is of historic import for the people of Pakistan and even on this day of darkness I see some hope for a better future. Since the sacking of the CJP on March 9th, the heroic struggle of the lawyers has germinated greater democratic desire and decisively strengthened Pakistan’s civil society and its beleagured independent media.
In the face of relentless governmental coercion there have been heartwarming displays of peaceful resistance, none more evident than in the historic journey of Justice Chaudhry through the heart of Punjab. Those in Pakistan and abroad who desire an eventual constitutional democratic polity rooted in a rule of law have to be encouraged by these developments. The conclusion of this episode, however, remains highly uncertain because no political sagacity can be expected from those who have brought us to this pass.
This grassroots peoples’ movement has also forced the politicians of all hues to make a choice; they either stand on the side of the rule of law or for the perpetuation of a dangerously unstable, one-man military banana republic. Mainstream politicians (despite all their historical shortcomings) clearly seem to grasp the national mood and the King’s men who are standing up for the present dispensation to save their personal fiefdoms will hopefully pay a steep price whenever they face the electorate in a fair election.
MQM more clearly exposed itself today than it ever has in its sordid history (thanks to private TV channels). The party that started with great hopes, rooted in the educated middle classes has over the years just become a collection of vicious thugs. It is wielding its fascistic tactics on behalf of people who seem to believe they have a divine right to perpetual power and who originally nurtured this party as a counterweight to PPP. MQM has shown itself the mirror image of the worst of MMA; both groups want people to acquiesce to their ideologies by force. Neither believes in nor has any fundamental respect for a constitutional rule of law.
Pakistan stands at a critical juncture as it has so many times in its unfortunate 60 year independent history. I would urge all Pakistanis and their well wishers to lend thier support to the struggle of Pakistan’s revitalized civil society. Let’s hope that the forces of peaceful democratic activism led by the country’s courageous lawyers ultimately emerge victorious and we can close this latest chapter of the military’s recurring era of authoritarian and unconstitutional misrule without further human suffering.
Fawad is a California-based literati-at-large and writes the blog ‘Moments of Tranquility,’ where a version of this was first posted.
oh btw darwaish sahib, this disqualifies the current editor of dawn, who is only 46 — also the current editor of the news in karachi who is in his late 40s as well as talat hussain, hamid mir and possibly kamran khan — all in their 40s — or zaffar abbas, resident editor of dawn in isloo and ashar rahman, resident editor of dawn in lhr — good luck!
and btw while you’re at it darwaish, do ask these ‘senior journalists’ their views on blogs
darwaish sahib — a lot of what i say is passed on to me by people i have worked with — such as ahmed ali khan and m a majeed (my last supervisor) — you may know of the first gentleman — the second is in his 51st year as dawn’s editorial pages editor — also, i am not sure that age has anything to do with what i am saying — i would have thought 14 years experience (and going) in the profession including the last eight years in senior editorial positions in two leading English newspapers would have lent some credence to my views but alas I was wrong — thanks for proving me wrong darwaish sahib — :(
i thought the purpose of blogs such as this was to speak one’s mind — or it isnt darwaish sahib
as for zaheer sahib, i can only imagine why he would be so reticent in discussing his job — but i hope you, as well as him, understood my point
as for sharifuddin pirzada’s meeting — i read it only in the news — and the reason it had to be vague was because the earlier lunch meeting was flatly denied (and not “clarified” as you said) by the govt and the supreme court — although it became the butt of jokes during the supreme court’s hearing yesterday — i think you need to understand how newspapers operate and what libel is and the damage that can be done to one’s credibilty if a news report is denied (which it can easily be, unless the newspaper has documentary proof to support it), which i am sure you will understand was most difficult in the sharifuddin pirzada meeting case — oh but then my years in journalism are not enough for you to give credence to what i have said — in that case, darwaish sahib, may we consider this discussion closed — i think you are better off talking to journalists whose experience is in excess of 34 years
Omar Sb, I was referring to a late night meeting that took place at Sharifuddin Pirzada’s residence. A number of news papers reported it but in an extremely vague and irritating manner. I can’t imagine you haven’t read it because that will suggest that my reading is better than yours which surely can’t be true. It would be great if you can find out full details and share with us here. Islamabad club thing is way too famous and even SCP has clarified it.
I don’t know why you felt I am advising you on anything including press freedom. I have only expressed my personal views on the topic as an ordinary Pakistani. On the pressure issue, most people are likely to take words of people who have spent more time in this profession than your age :). I once again suggest (not advising:)) that you watch that AAJ tv muzakra (i think it was Live with Talat Hussain) on press freedom/pressure and comment on the views expressed by the participants.
One thing I have learned form blogging is that rather than being confrontational, perhaps a better approach is to convince others or express our opinions in a student-teacher manner. But that’s my personal opinion. In democracy, everyone is free to use terms like idiot, stupid etc etc and using ‘I am right and you are wrong’ approach.
PS: I live in Lahore and a software engineer by profession. Unlike Zaheer Alam Kidvai Sb, I don’t see any reason to be scared so your return compliments about my profession, if any, are highly appreciated :).
Zakintosh — please dont distort things — i didnt expose you but suggested that i do with you what you have done with me — as in discussed threadbare the intricasies of my profession —
oliveream — i called sabahat’s comments idiotic and uninformed and i still stand by that —
the argument of mine that you have highlighted in your post was in response to earlier posts suggesting that blogs are actually widely read in pakistan — had you bothered to read those posts you would understand the context in which my posts were written
sabahat — stop twisting things — i never abused you anywhere — please paste the post where i “abused” you — other than calling you idiotic, which i then clarified by saying that i was calling what you had said “idiotic and uninformed” — and if you dont have any arguments spare us the personal attacks please
ismail, here is the editorial in full:
From The News, May 18, 2007
Refusal to see reality
Several news reports of the May 15 meeting of the ruling PML and its allied parties in Islamabad, presided over by President Pervez Musharraf, suggest that there was palpable tension among some members of parliament. Accusations were hurled at the MQM for wreaking havoc in Karachi by some PML-Q MPs, many of whom will be understandably worried about their electoral chances in the coming election. The reason is that whether the party likes it or not, anti-MQM feeling is running high in Punjab, NWFP and even parts of Azad and Jammu Kashmir. According to these reports, the MQM refuted all the allegations laid against them for being behind the violence saying that they were willing for an inquiry by a high court judge to ascertain what really happened and who was behind the violence. Of course, it may be another matter that television pictures do not often conceal the truth, an inquiry headed by a superior court judge would make sense, especially given the many allegations and counter-allegations, and to ascertain just how many parties were involved in the violence, and, equally importantly, why the police and the Rangers stood by as idle spectators.
The MQM will be however pleased because it found a strong supporter in the president who deflected any and all criticism that was aimed at the party by some ruling party MPs. Reportedly, PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain also spoke with MQM chief Altaf Hussain and condoled the deaths of party workers with him. One hopes that the PML-Q also commiserated with ANP chief Asfandyar Wali since his party is said to have suffered quite a few dead as well in the May 12 carnage. The prime minister added to this when during a visit to Karachi he actually went on to praise the role of the Sindh government, the police and the Rangers in containing the violence and bringing the city back to normality. With due respect to the prime minister, one begs to disagree with his assessment.
Surely, real politick demands that certain compromises be made and that sometimes these may be uncomfortable — but surely there should be a line somewhere. For instance, what kind of message is being given to the Sindh government and the law-enforcement agencies by praising their role in “containing” the May 12 violence? Instead of pulling them up for abdicating from their responsibility of maintaining law and order, or stepping in to quell the violence, instead of taking to task the Sindh government for the 40-plus lives that have been lost since last Saturday, it is thoroughly dismaying and disconcerting to see the country’s chief executive give a complete vote of confidence to the provincial government. It’s as if much of the country is on one side and the government and its allied political parties on the other. And that is where the other dangerous aspect to all of this comes in — the pressure on the print and electronic media, which was manifest as never before on May 12. According to reports, it figured in the May 15 meeting as well, with almost all participants expressing unanimity that the government do something to put the media in order, given that it was blowing things out of proportion. Coming good on that request would be a most unwise step, for the government itself.
Those at the helm in Islamabad need to ask themselves that on a day when dozens die in brutal gunfights, when a TV channel is attacked for six hours with no police or Rangers stepping in to thwart the attackers, when people are left on the rode to die in cold blood, to blame the media for blowing things out of proportion is a recipe for disaster. It means that the government is not willing to even look at what went wrong on May 12, so finding the way forward and to ensure that such a day does not happen again seems an elusive possibility. At this point, one cannot but think of what one of America’s greatest presidents (it’s sixteenth to be precise), Abraham Lincoln, once said: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
oliveream wrote: “There’s a growing reality that mainstream media journalists must get used to. And that is the bloggers have a voice and now a forum to exercise their right to question, argue and even ridicule anything that the mainstream media journalists publish, print or broadcast as news or opinion. You have just encountered an example of that exercise here. Get used to it! It will happen more often than you think, so best be prepared.”
hahaha — you sound like a 12 year old here oliveream — its not me who is upset but you and sabahat and some others when i challeneged their views on the importance, or otherwise, of blogs in Pakistan — also i think you would do well to read sabahat’s post which was how it began — she began by addressing me in a most rude tone and made several personal (and untrue) insinuations — try to see both sides of the coin oliveream — also try and read what ismail hussein here has written — he is a neutral observer to this — i suggest sabahat do the same
fawad — what do you have to say about the hamad raza stories — its been a while you responded fawad —