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.
Rumor has it that a forward block is about to emerge in the Q league. It may take Mush by surprise when the bill to take out the 17th ammendment is voted on in the NA.
The ‘print vs. online’ debate is raging everywhere – Online, in newspapers, and in magazines – just as a few decades ago it did with ‘print vs. electronic media’, when the TV made its way into our homes. It is an important matter, worldwide, and needs understanding and discussion.
However, I totally agree with Mr Ismail Hussein. The whole point of the original discussion – and one of far greater immediate import to Pakistan (which is, after all, the prime area of interest for ATP) – has been permeatedby a topic which, however interesting, should continue elsewhere.
If it is not too much trouble for the Webmaster, maybe all the comments that do not deal with the original topic can be moved to a new post. I would not recommend deletion. They do make ‘fun’ reading :-)
I regret my exchange with Mr. Quraishi’s, as it obviously served no purpose and was a terrible waste of time. I apologize to the other readers and shall refrain from any further comments in response to him.
@ Omar R. Quraishi,
“i called sabahat’s comments idiotic and uninformed and i still stand by that”
I stand corrected. So your words “â€
like i keep saying to myself sabahat, the less said about you the better —
i havent lied anywhere — you on the other hand continue with your twisting of what happened on this thread and the sequence of events so its ironic to say the least that you should call me a liar
i think people can see that i called you an idiot after you posted the following: “#
Mr. Omar R Qureshi: Whenever I read your comments I get the feeling that you are threatened by the ‘alternate media’ and are forever trying to impress upon people the weight that the print media and its ‘professional journalists’ have in your opinion. Nonetheless, slowly but surely that equilibrium is shifting, however much people like you may try and deny it. If I get no newspaper at my place and get all my news from either the net (online newspapers, blogs etc.) or television (and I am an ardent news follower) then I am sure there are others like me and in the coming years the number will only increase. Blogging may certainly not be as widespread a medium as the regular or print media but it has given a voice to people who have no vested interests, no advertisements to think of, no jobs being threatened and no editorship/censorship. Now obviously the above can be both a good and a bad thing but the fact of the matter is that it has its very own niche that newspapers cannot possibly have for they will forever be controlled in some way or the other.
As for Geo (as that is the only Jang Group part I can speak of with authority) it WAS certainly hedging and trying to play it safe, listening to Hamid Mir today on NDTV the fact hit home even more as he was far far more open in naming names while on NDTV compared to when he is on GEO.
Syed Talat Hussain is one of the few really brave and truly investigative journalists in Pakistan which is why he was targetted so on the 12th of May, GEO didn’t even come close to Aaj in their coverage. Even during the earthquake GEO had the utterly (PUKE PUKE) reprehensible Amir Liaquat Hussain insulting the thinking Pakistani’s intelligence whereas Talat Hussain dealt with the catastrophe with the dignity and heart it deserved.
As for your point about the print version of The News dealing with Hammad Raza’s death and not the online version, it is only when ‘professional journalists’ like you will start realizing the importance of news on the internet which is for more readily available will groups like The Jang Group really move forward in a new direction, till then you will continue to feel threatened by the ‘new media’ instead of embracing it and considering it an augmentation of the regular one and its friend and quirky partner.”
Prior to this post of yours I was responding to fawad, krumen and some others who had implied that the print media was not doing its job — you should have showed this context as well — tch tch
and what did i say about zakintosh’s profession that was sarcastic – and you’re telling me that you didnt sense the sarcasm in his posts – you have proved that you’re idiotic sabahat :)
darwaish sahib — surely someone of your wisdom would understand that when the government denies something there are ways of doing it — for you, the SC saying that the lunch was coincidental and not deliberate may seem a clarification but for journalists that means that the original story that the SC judges met govt lawyers deliberately and as planned was denied — the gist of the story was denied — hope you understand what that means –this is the ‘clarification’: “Recently a news item titled “A Lunch that caused eyebrows to raise”, published in the daily News dated 5th May 2007 and a similar report that appeared in the daily Jang dated 6th May 2007 and repeated on 7th May 2007 were given unnecessary prominence, as part of mala fide vilification scheme launched by the vested interests. It is stated that at the relevant time, the Hon. Judges were having lunch in the Islamabad Club and Syed Sharif-ud-Din Pirzada, Senior ASC and Mr Makhdoom Ali Khan, learned Attorney General for Pakistan happened to be around and joined the Honourable Judges on lunch. It was a mere co-incidence and insinuation by the media is unfounded.”
clearly the govt is denying that such a planned lunch took place — like i keep telling you darwaish sahib, get your facts right first — mood kharab ho gaya? tch tch — and btw i dont really care to know what you do or where you live but wanted you to understand the inappropriateness of telling people what to do with regards to their professional conduct