Adil Najam
UPDATE (Sept 28, 2007): In a split decision (6-3), the Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that Gen. Musharraf can contest the Presidential Elections in uniform. Earlier, on September 20, Justice Javed Iqbal had remarked that the 17th Constitutional Amendment provided crutches to President Musharraf, not by the Supreme Court.
According to The News:
The nine-member larger Bench hearing the identical constitutional petitions comprised of Justice Rana Bhagwan Das, Justice Javed Iqbal, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, Justice Muhammad Nawaz Abbasi, Justice Faqir Muhammad Khokar, Justice Falak Sher, Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan and Justice M Javed Buttar…. Six of the nine-judge larger bench gave verdict in favour of dismissing the petitions while other three judges, Justice Rana Bhagwandas, Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan and Justice Shakirullah Jan differed.
ORIGINAL POST: The main headline in The News today (Sept. 21, 2007) is revealing. It reads:
Oct. 6 set to “re-elect Musharraf.”
News reports in major newspapers do not usually use headlines with such obvious sarcasm. In fact, more than sarcasm there is desperation in the headline. It seems that like much of the nation, The News has also, finally, given up on the sham Presidential elections which are making a mockery of the Constitution, of the courts and, frankly, of the nation. The inverted commas in the headline say it all. The General wants to remain in power for his personal reasons, and he will do so no matter what, and no matter how. As the old Fifty-Fifty skit used to say: “karr lo jo karna hai”!
In a country where we change, amend, abuse, and concoct Constitutions at whims, it has always surprised me why we take Constitutional provisions so very seriously when it comes time to manipulate it. The spirit of the Constitution died long ago, what does it matter now whether the letter is followed or not?
Frankly, like The News, I am also disgusted with the process – and with everyone in it. While Gen. Musharraf has now lost all shred of process and is hell bent on keeping the Presidency by hook or by crook (and most likely by crook), the politicians and the media do not come across as much better either. The judiciary has fared better for now, but one wonders for how long.
What bugs me is the manipulation games everyone is playing with the Constitution. The media discussions are particularly depressing and people debate clauses but disregard the concepts behind the clauses. Everyone seems to relish the jorr torr, and no one wants to step back and say what does all of this mean for Pakistan.
There is absolutely no sense of what is “right” or “wrong”. Only, a discussion of what is ‘possible’ or ‘not possible.’ Politics may well be the ‘art of the possible’, but there is only that much abuse that even politics can take. Frankly, we have abused it enough.
Musharraf with his machinations to hold on to his kursi, the Chaudhries with their manipulations, the MMA with their fueling of fires, the MQM with its strongarm tactics, Benazir with her deals that seem really to center around getting the cases against her removed, even Nawaz Sharif with his less than convincing convictions …. None seems inspiring and none seems ready to rise to the moment.
Even the media seems to have lost its luster and relishes the minutia of dancing over a polity dying and being killed before its eyes. Engrossed in the sensationalism of the moment (whether it be a Presidential order, a Court adjournment, an Election Commission parchment, or merely the latest inanity from Sher Afghan) it seems to have no interest in the larger questions confronting the nation. The questions of democracy, the questions of extremism, the questions of civil war, the questions of economic disparity, the questions of civic disengagement, the questions of national lethargy in the face of all these questions.
I fear that I sound depressed. It is because I am. I have been in Pakistan the last three weeks, and personal reasons have kept me from writing much, or even visiting ATP much (thanks, Owais, for doing such a fine job managing the site), but I have thought often of writing about the daily political developments in this topi drama. I have not done so partly because I had even more pressing crises on my mind, but also because it has become increasingly difficult to look at all of this as anything except a political circus. But a very sad and depressing circus at that. This is not just playing poker with the fate of the nation, this is more like playing Russian roulette!
I made arrangements to be able to visit the Supreme Court during its current interesting cases. I decided not to go. Same reason. Its way too depressing. I am sorry, readers, to dump this on you, but its just one of those times. May these times end soon and may the sun shine again! Ameen! I have very little faith left in any of the major actors anymore, but I do have faith in the democratic spirit of ordinary Pakistanis. It will eventually triumph.
They say that democracy can sometimes lead to dirty politics. Yes, it can. But what we have just proved in Pakistan is that the lack of democracy leads to even dirtier politics.
Mr Deewana,
You have mentioned the name of two groups and hold responsible for dictatorship in Pakistan but in reality, the biggest reason for our dictatorship is not the above mentioned names by you, but give credit to the big boss, yes I am talking about CIA. Majority of the politicians and Mullahs are on payole of US based agency and they manipulate the whole situation in our country.
“Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.”
Not surprisingly…we are discussing Pervaiz Musharaf and not the underlying reasons for dictatorship and what strengthens it viz the Mullahs and corrupt politicians. Going as far back as we want in the history of the country, we find these two groups causing, inviting or strengthening the military interference in the affair of the country.
ahem…who put the dictator in this position of “karr lo jo karna hai”?
Hate to say the obvious but it?s the Mullahs who gave our necks into the dictator?s hands by strengthening him earlier.
Recently the Supreme Court, referring to Mullahs? earlier arrangement with Musharaf, understandably asked Mullahs how come they were OK with supporting the dictator in violation of the constitution earlier but now complain about the very same thing? Qazi obviously pissed with his hypocrisy being caught and pointed out, is now bad mouthing the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice and calling them wimps publicly.
Chore machaay shore…
I, too, felt depressed for the last one week or so. I thought it was because of the flu and fever that had forced me to stay in bed. But now I know, it was the news that I have been watching all the time while in bed.
The charade being played in the name of democracy in Islamabad is sickening. It’s so sickening that one doesn’t even feel like protesting.
One wonders what is that miracle that Musharraf will perform by remaining in uniform one or two additional weeks that he could not perform in the last 8 years?
Mutazalzaluzzaman Tarar:
Yes, it is not the media’s job to carry out street protests, but it does have a responsibility to ask bigger questions and carry out serious analysis on such matters. This it is not doing, though journalists never like to admit that. Like our government, all our journalists want to hear is praise, even the well meaning ones.
As for TV talk shows, one major problem is that the agenda is mainly being set by politicians (on both sides) and hence the monotonous nature of the discussion with the same rhetorical arguments being endlessly repeated to death. It would be nice if representatives from civil society could be given a bit more space on the talk shows and allowed to raise issues that are not receiving the attention they deserve.