Adil Najam
The news of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry’s reinstatement made one feel good. Real good. After a long time. It reminded one of all that we have been through. It reminded one, also, that exactly two year’s ago ATP had published the result of a Poll on whether the CJ’s removal was the right move. Maybe, the powers that were should have heeded our reader’s advice right then and spared themselves and everyone the ordeal:
(This Poll was conducted 2 years ago)
As I mentioned on NPR’s show All Things Considered today (read and listen to story here), I think what has happened has been truly revolutionary. However, as one wrote yesterday, the story is far from over. It has just taken the newest twist. It is a good twist. But we know much more is to follow. But what?
We do remember, of course, that he had been reinstated earlier too – by his peers in the Supreme Court. We also remember that promises and announcements are made by our political leaders to be broken. We also note that in listening to the speech it is not clear exactly what the terms of the decision are and exactly what the nature of the reinstatement will be. Also unclear is what the new power dynamics in Pakistan will be after this demonstration of the power of the people. It is very clear that this is a moral and political victory not of any political party or political leader but of the Pakistani people and of the Justice movement. But we also know that victory has a thousand fathers and many, including the vanquished will seek to take credit for it.
In short, more questions than answers loom before us and all indications suggest that things may become more unclear in the next many weeks than less.
But let me be totally clear, this is good unclarity, even necessary unclarity. What we have seen today is truly historic. As I have argued many times on this blog it was proved again that Pakistan is a democratic society trapped inside an undemocratic State. For two years now a citizen movement – a movement of progressive, liberal, educated, non-violence forces – persevered in the face of hardship, jailings, persecution, and ridicule even of their friends. And yet they fought on – non-violently and in a principled way – for an abstract idea. The idea that institutions matter. That justice matters.
For this to have happened in a society where too many on the extreme are trying to make points by violence (as extremists tried to do again today), where zealots and miscreants murder and cut off people’s ears and noses simply because they do not agree with them, where innocent people are blown up because of one’s misguided sense of religiosity, for this to have happened and for such major change to have come about in a peaceful way makes one very very happy. Ecstatic really.
Jinnah’s spirit must be smiling today. I certainly am.
But tomorrow, we all have to start asking ourselves the question: What next? The answers won’t be easy, but one hopes that people will show the same clarity of purpose they did here. There will be many questions. Here are some I can think of. I am sure our readers will add more questions. I am hopeful that they might also guide us on a few answers:
- Will this become Nawaz Sharif’s victory? If so, what will that mean for the power dynamics of Pakistan. If not, what does that mean for the power dynamics of Pakistan?
- Asif Ali Zardari remains the President. Bruised, beaten and weakened. But President nonetheless. Gen. Musharraf made an art-form of retreating under pressure and each time things became worse. How will it play out now?
- What about the dynamics within the PPP. A number of senior PPP leaders have been sidelined or have dropped out (including Aitizaz Ahsan). Does this mean that they will be brought back in – or might force their way back. What does this mean for the future of the PPP; with or without Zardari?
- What about the current court, including the new inductees and the balance of opinion in the Court? How would a reinstated Chief Justice Chaudhry act in that Court, especially on issues of political significance? Will he be able to act or will the media made every case before him a circus?
- And even if everything goes without hitch, what is the future of the amazing Citizen’s Movement that has been constructed here? My own hope is that a new politics may emerge in Pakistan around the faces and frameworks of this movement and that it will remain true to its aspirations rather than succumbing to political temptations.
There are, of course, so many other questions.
But the real one remains: What next?
A nice write-up indeed.
I would say this phenomenon of breaking the barriers is nothing but the great Lahouries showing their true self. This was what expected from the Lahourites who have been changing the history of the Sub-Continent for centuries. After all the resolution of Independence of India presented by Pundit Nehru was passed hear by Indian National Congress in 1930. And what is called the Pakistan Resolution was also passed hear by the Indian Muslim League under the auspices of Quaide Azam in 1940.
And now this movement for independence of judiciary which is in fact a movement for independence of Pakistan has also broken loose turning the tide in favour of the people of Pakistan vidicating the very objective of the Pakistan Movement.
So say ‘Lahore’ Zinda Bad’, people of Pakistan ‘Zinda Bad’.
Unless we stop electing spinless shoe lickers and do not lower our guard, nothing is going to change.
This is an important victory because for the first time in Pakistan’s history, a large civil society movement has asserted itself so strongly. Decades of disappointments have made Pakistanis overly pacimistic, and I remember receiving a lot of sinical comments even during this movement. People would say, no matter what you want, Musharraf is not going anywhere, then we would be told, no matter what you do, Iftikhar will never be restored. And we did not have an answer to those sinics who thought we were crazy. We even doubted the movement’s success ourselves at times.
But today, we can look those sinics in the eye and say, “see, the people have the power to assert themselves, and if we try, we can change things for the better in Pakistan.” Hopefully this will encourage more people to get actively involved in trying to change the rotten system, people who previously only made sinical remarks and spread more pacimism.
And that in itself means a lot for Pakistan’s future prospects. More than our Generals, politicians and bureaucrats, we, the people of Pakistan, have let the country down due to our reluctance to try taking matters in our own hands. We have suffered because of this, but this victory offers hope that may be the time has come when we will no longer leave things alone.
The movement has brought a new generation of activists on the scene, and I believe, there is a real chance that some new politicians are also going to emerge in due time.
This also marks the sunset for a different generation of activists, people who grew up in the shaddows of Zia and whose activism and ideology centered around opposing the military and political parties like PML-N and JI. They are still there in significant numbers in the media and civil society, and still influence the discourse in favour of the PPPPP, but their hold is declining, and we are now whitnessing a shift towards a more issue based orientation.
I believe justice Baghwandas is already retired.
I just read the official notification of the judge