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.
[quote comment=”47131″]Musharraf has surrounded himself with idiots like the Chauhdries and terrorists like Altaf Hussain. This has caused him to lose all sense of perspective and reality. The people of Pakistan have had enough of illegal military dictatorships and tyranny.
Musharraf’s time is up. He just can’t see it because his followers won’t let him. General shaab, it’s time to pack up and flee to friendlier skies. If you stay, prepare to pay for all the crimes you have committed by making a mockery out of the sacred constitution of Pakistan for the last 8 years.
Regardless of whether Musharraf physically survives this or not, the time has come to make an example out of these jarnails. Musharraf, once he is forced out, should be retroactively stripped of all his title, rank, privileges, awards, assets for his service in the army. He should be hanged publicly and made an example for other army jayalas who envision hijacking Pakistan for their heinous personal designs.
Musharraf kutta, hai hai! Musharraf kutta, hai hai!
ps. Maybe we should hang Altaf bhai too while we’re at it? Khas kamm jahan paak! This butcher deserves to be publicly executed and then thrown to Karachi’s dogs to feast on. We must start making people pay for their crimes. Otherwise, this vicious cycle will continue until the end of time.[/quote]
I agree with you 100%.
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Whether the coup was justifiable or not, people differed on that, and a large number of Pakistanis actually welcomed it too, so I don’t think it would be fair to hang anyone in the name of article 6 when such a large section of the nation welcomed him and heaved a sigh of relief at the ouster of NS. Lets first agree that we won’t welcome any military ruler from now on and then apply such laws to punish people for high treason in the future.
However, the kind of gunda gardi by the government on saturday is plain gunda gardi, and Musharraf should indeed be held responsible for it and tried if and when possible.
MQM stands exposed. Megalomaniac Altaf and his associates should now realise that the days of their thuggery are now numbered. Their activities are based on coercion, intimidation and blackmail. Enough is enough. Mush will soon show his back. As Imran Khan rightly said that MQM basically is a fascist organisation where there is no room for dissent. Whole province of Sindh is in turmoil ever since inception of this organisation.
What happened on 12th May in Karachi is an example of other face of MQM, an ugly face of its murderous trait. What happened to Aaj TV is a clear example of their intolerance to those who do not toe their line. MQM supremo should sink this in his thick head that those days are gone when he used to summon owners and editors of newspapers and extract apoplogies from them. This is an era of electronic media and an action can be recorded live and seen all over the world so there is no use to retract the footage.
Chief Justice has every right to visit Karachi and address High Court Bar and opposition parties have every right to register their protest.
MQM can hold as many rallies as it can and bore people with hysterical outbursts from mentally deranged leader.
Karachi belongs to Pakistan and is capital of Province of Sindh and is not Altaf’s fiefdom and he can not prevent anyone to visit Karachi.