Is the Justice Movement Over? I Hope Not.

Posted on November 16, 2008
Filed Under >Adil Najam, History, Law & Justice, Music, Pakistanis Abroad, People, Poetry, Society
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Adil Najam

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry arrives in USA today for a speaking tour, including a visit to the Harvard Law School to receive their Medal of Freedom. One wonders if this is the last hurray for a dying cause or yet another reminder that this is a cause that refuses to die?

On the face of it, Asif Ali Zardari’s elected government has done what Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf’s military government could not. All but the most diehard have given up on the hope for the restoration of Justice Chaudhry. But is the “Justice Movement” also dead?

For Pakistan’s sake, one hopes not.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was, and remains, the face of the Justice Movement. But the Justice Movement was always bigger than him. Those who were mobilized by the movement were mobilized by much more than an ousted judge. Indeed, they were mobilized by more than just a disdain for military rule. Ultimately, they were mobilized by the idea that justice, as a concept, must prevail. That the integrity of nations flows from the integrity of its institutions. That, ultimately, the democratic spirit of a people is always more important than any leader – whether that of a judicial system, that of a military junta, or even that of an elected government.

As I had written way back on March 23, 2007:

Gen. Musharraf himself, and his supporters, view this as a conspiracy against his person. It may not be a conspiracy but his opponents certainly view this as an opportunity to bring an end – or at least seriously dent – his regime. There are, of course, also those who view – or wish to construct – Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry as an arch villain or as a supreme hero. He is probably neither, but as a man caught in the cross-hairs of history he is well aware of the pivotal role that his person plays out in this unfolding saga…

This is not just about what Gen. Musharraf did, not about how Iftikhar Chaudhry reacted; the real story is about how the citizenry of Pakistan reacted. There is little surprise in either the actions of Gen. Musharraf or the reaction of the Chief Justice. The surprise lies in how people reacted – Lawyers on the street, media in their newsrooms, bloggers in bloggistan, and ordinary citizens everywhere in their thaRRas, drawing rooms, email lists and everywhere else.

That is ultimately what matters. If this spirit can be sustained then the future of democracy in Pakistan is secure; whether it comes with or without the current setup… This has been Pakistan’s democratic moment; that I find it to be a moment worthy of celebration because it signifies that trapped inside an “undemocratic state” lies a vibrant and clearly “democratic society.”

We remain, I believe, a democratic society. We now also have an elected government. But it is not yet clear whether we are a democratic state. If we are ever to become one, then the Justice Movement must never die.

P.S. The video above is a GEO TV production based on Aitizaz Ahsan’s poem Kal, Aaj aur Kal which he had written while under house arrest. Whatever poetic merits the poem might lack it is an immensely powerful and honest political statement. So is this video. Both are powerful not only because of the sense of history that they embody, but also because of the hopes of the future that they embody.

50 responses to “Is the Justice Movement Over? I Hope Not.”

  1. kj says:

    Well I hope this movement works because it has been stretched for way to long.
    Situation is the same and it seems like that the movement will die out soon.Lets just pray that whatever happens in future happens for the betterment of Pakistan.

  2. S.A. HASHMI says:

    The fact that we are still talking about this so many months down the road shows that this is a real movement and not just a political show.

    I predict that the future of Pakistan politics will be defined by this movement, no matter what is happening to it now.

  3. RAUF says:

    It is quite clear that teh Justice Movement lives. No matter what happens to this CJ.

    Ultimately, the people of Pakistan ARE greater than any government… Musharraf’s or Zardari’s or anyone else.

  4. coldrain says:

    I just want to tell you guys that I had the good fortune of being at Harvard day before yesterday to watch the real CJP Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhary recieve the Harvard Law School Medal of Freedom. It is something that all Pakistanis should be proud of. Dont let the pessimists and cynics get to you. Regardless of the past of the individuals concerned, they have succeeded in giving a new generation of Pakistanis hope. It is upto the youth, to struggle and shape their future. If we want our destiny to be different from that of our forefathers, we will have to work for it. Sitting on your ass and critisizing things is going to get you nowhere.

    The movement is very much alive and there is much to hope and struggle for.

  5. Viqar Minai says:

    Whether the media downplays it, or Musharraf loyalists put it down, Justice Chaudhry’s courage in 2007 – notwithstanding his earlier blessing of the PCO – and the subsequent lawyers’s movement to fight for the independence of the judiciary in Pakistan was a very historic moment in the political struggle for a free Pakistan.

    If there is ever to be the slightest hope of Pakistan becoming truly free and democratic, it CANNOT HAPPEN without the independence of it judiciary. True there is a huge character and political leadership deficit in Pakistan at present; and there is no overnight cure for it. The nation is in the dumps for lots of justifiable reasons; but it is from here that it has to rise up, slowly and extremely painfully, if ever. Whatever his real or imagined sins of omission and commission in the past, the CJP’s stance in standing up to the establishment was indisputably a small redemptive step.

    A few days ago a writer in this space asked: “who will keep the media of Pakistan honest?”. The answer has been starkly clear, yet as elusive as ever. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PEOPLE OF PAKISTAN; that is ALL of us. It always was; and it always will be. We all have to do it in the streets of Pakistan. And without an independent judiciary manned by people of character there isn’t a prayer of hope.

    Those who are denigrating this struggle are condemning not just themselves, but the entire nation, to perpetual bondage and an inglorious end.

    mujhe fitrat navaa par pae ba pae majboor karti hae
    abhi mehfil meiN ho shaayed koi dard aashna baaQi

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