This photo is from today’s Dawn. It shows protesting lawyers damaging public property in Multan.
The ability to protest against that which they consider unjust is everybody’s right. But there is a fine line between peaceful protest and anarchy. Damaging property is definitely wrong and serves no one’s interest. It certainly does not serve the interest of the lawyers movement for democracy.
Violence is clearly wrong. It becomes no less or no more wrong when it is committed by protesting lawyers than when it is done by government against the same protesting lawyers. Just as we have called out against violence committed against protesters by government agencies, we must also call out aginst violence committed by them.
Anger is neither a strategy nor an excuse. The principle is a clear one: Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it and no matter why.
Qandeel said it best. We are definitely dealing with a different ball game here
Nothing is new.
It has been like this all the time, protesters smashing property, police smashing protesters, and other people condeming/supporting police or protesters.
Nothing will change …
Owais, as a matter of principle what you say is right, protests should be non-violent and as “dignified” as possible, but I think the reason people are having a difficult time grappling with this post is your black & white approach.
Shouldn’t some legroom be given to the principle in light of all that is going on in Pakistan? Should a suppressed man be expected to behave as a gentleman? I liked that quote from an earlier comment: “in this quagmire, my hatred is justified.” The lawyers pictured here, if they are indeed lawyers and not hellraising impostors hired by Nawaz Sharif, are vandalising a car, but surely you can, to an extent, empathise with their anger/actions…?
The principle you advocate can serve as a good yardstick if we were dealing with a society as politically neutral and socially peaceful as, say, Norway. A picture like this would create havoc in Stavanger. But we’re dealing with an entirely different ball game here.
We will just wait for the day when the writer of this article will some day realise that he has in fact lowered the morales of the lawyers, journalists, and people from all sectors supporting the struggle towards restoration of juidiciary. People giving stupid arguments like these lawyers are sponsored… Shame on the establishment which is supporting a few people for very small pays. It would have been better had they join struggle with all the suffering people of Pakistan.
‘Image of Pakistan’… Remember if all the lawyers go and sit in a mosque start praying for their cause… would it be acceptable for the writer. I think this could be the safest way to protest and the result would be more effective.
These reactions are taught by the time spent during the freedom… And I wish this changes the image of Pakistan in the minds of the establishment and they start pondering somewhat differently towards the situation… to hell with the image transmitted to the western observer and elite class.
Even police has apologised with the Lawyer and have promised to mend;
http://jang.com.pk/jang/dec2007-daily/08-12-2007/m ulkbharse/nat6.gif
This article has become an example of “mudaee sust gawah chust” :)