A victory for the nation and for justice
By Dr Shireen M Mazari • Mar 21st, 2009 • Category: Politics, Worth A Second Look • 43 CommentsThe direct nation-state confrontation that began with the start of the Pakistani people’s long march for the restoration of the constitutional Chief Justice and an independent judiciary ended in a state of national jubilation on March 16 as the prime minister announced the use of his executive authority to restore Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The nation had cause to celebrate since it defied all pressures from within the country and from our external so-called allies. The US especially had sought to push the defiant political leaders into accepting unacceptable compromises and trusting the tried, tested and found wanting leadership of the country. Now the US may put any spin on the issue it wants but the fact of the matter is that the people of Pakistan led by the lawyers and critically supported by some of the main political parties defied the state and its foreign detractors to secure a victory for justice.
There is much talk of the army leadership compelling the political leaders to move in the right direction as well as the US and Britain goading the politicians into compromising their zero-sum postures. But what seems to have been forgotten is why were these centres of power pushing the government especially into “doing the right thing” once the defiance of the PML-N leadership had become clear – that was the power of the people who refused to back down from their long march and dharna despite the impending use of force that was put on show. So let us see March 16 as a victory of the people of Pakistan.
However, efforts to undermine that victory have not stopped. The notification that was expected on March 16 for the restoration of the deposed judges had still to come out by the morning of March 17. Some questions were also being asked about the restoration of the chief justice and other judges without restoration of the November 2 judiciary. A dampener was also the legitimation of Dogar’s chief justice-ship by restoring CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry only after the former’s retirement. As Aqil Sajjad put it, “the attempt is being made to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory”. Even more sickening is the present PPP leadership’s claims to having lived up to its signed commitments to restore the CJP! Clearly the nation is being regarded as almost imbecilic since it is being told in all seriousness that President Zardari actually intended to restore Iftikhar Chaudhry all along! If the people were prepared to fight the state to have their long march and dharna they are certainly not fooled by the nauseating statements coming forth from the president and his minions. But the nation is busy celebrating the success of its determination against all odds and can afford to ignore the shenanigans of the presidential apologists.
However, once the euphoria dies down and life confronts reality again, the contradictions will surface. But this time there is the hope of knocking at the doors of the superior judiciary and actually expecting to get justice. That is why the long-suffering but indefatigable Amina Janjua had a broad smile on her weary face on March 16 and that is why so many ordinary Pakistanis had made their way from across the land to the capital for what was to be a dharna but turned into a national celebration. There were the people from South Waziristan who were brimming with tales of horror and death at the hands of the US drones and there were people from southern Punjab whose lives had become hell as a result of the “thana-kutchery” culture that envelops rural Punjab and there were always the families of the “disappeared” Pakistanis – all these dispossessed people saw a hope of a new beginning in the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Of course, it is a heavy burden for one man to shoulder but it is not really a question of an individual but of the symbol that he has become. What will make the difference is that under his leadership the judiciary can find the strength to assert its independence at all levels – especially at the grassroots where effectively there is no provision of justice by the state. If the people of Swat sought the return of the Qazi courts, it was not without reason. If we are to avoid repeats of Swat then the state had better deliver.
Meanwhile, let our foreign detractors realise that at the end of the day there is no standing in the way of a people determined to fight for what it believes in. While the nation was focused on the judiciary, the US was busy killing more Pakistanis in FATA as well as trying to sabotage the peace deal in Bajaur. The nation needs to deal with these foreign elements seeking to write foreign blueprints for our state and society. While the nation was showing its strength, the foreign media and foreign governments saw Pakistani people power as a sign of Pakistan on the brink or of actually collapsing. Wishful thinking on their parts given that the long march was a resurgence of this nation.
What chaos there was, was created by the government itself with efforts to deny the people their democratic expression of dissent. If one is to believe the unbelievable – that Zardari and his PPP intended to restore the chief justice all along, why was the need felt to cause chaos and misery to the people through confiscation of containers and sealing off of the cities, not to mention the use of teargas, stones, and batons by the police against an unarmed populace? But it really does not matter for the rulers stand exposed and the nation has discovered its own strength if it is determined to fight for what it believes in.
There are still many challenges confronting this nation – not only in the judicial context but also on many fronts. We still have to fight the continuing destabilisation of the country by the US with its killings in FATA. We still have a problem of terrorism that has changed qualitatively as a direct result of our state’s alliance with the US in its military agenda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. There is the evil of religious extremism that is eroding at the tolerant Islamic ethos of traditional Pakistan on the one hand, and the growing extremism of the westernised elite on the other, both reducing the space for moderates and acceptance of “the other”. We continue to have the threat of an ever more belligerent Indian state on our eastern border, now with a covert presence on our western border also. The issue of our nuclear assets continues to crop up conveniently in the west every time there is political protest in Pakistan. And, amid all these problems, there is the growing misery of the ordinary Pakistani in the face of rising costs of mere existence.
But the first battle has been won and we can seek to address some of these issues through judicial redress. As for the coming battles, the democratic political space for dissension has been secured by the people. Another ray of hope is the new political awareness amongst the youth who joined the long marchers and brought with them an unbridled fervour oblivious to the hazards of fighting state power. Perhaps the most heartening factor has been the recognition by the people that they can assert their agenda even if the state and external powers resist or try to undermine this assertion. Now perhaps the State can learn from this and evolve the ability to say “no” to foreign powers like the US who are killing our people using our territory and our military resources and thereby destabilising our polity. Or perhaps the people will have to take a lead on that count also especially with the judicial hope that is now rekindled.
Finally, after witnessing the container-communication blockage drama of the government, we should now accept that our leadership may be suffering from a collective case of Akrasia – which is a recognised psychological condition defined as “the state of acting against one’s better judgement”. There is a debate that has been going on since the time of Plato as to what causes this – whether it is a weakness of will or the reverse. Whatever the cause, we need to find a cure before such akratic behaviour destroys this nation.
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I hope DUNYA KA YE MANHOOS TAREEN CJ (JIS KI WAJAH SEY MULK KI ECONOMY KA BEDA GHARAQ HUA, LOG MAREY GAI, IS KI ANA NEY KITNEY HI PROJECTS BAND KARWAY MUSHARRAF KI DUSHMANI MEIN LAL MASJID KEY TERRORISTS AZAD KEAY, AUR KITNEY HI SUO MOTO ACTION SEY MULK KA INTIZAM KHARAB KIA)
AB THODA AQAL SYKAM LEY LAGA
AUR SIRF WOH FIASLEY KAREY GA JO MULK AUR QAUM KEY BHALAI MEIN HON GEY NAKEY APNI ANA KI TASKEEN KEY LEAY!!!
Those comments were inadvertently removed and it is regretted.
TPS Service
Another act of verbal abuses has started.
It’s a pity, that this blog is losing it’s essence!
Pakistanis are suffering from THE OBAMA SYNDROME.
A large section of Americans think that OBAMA WILL SAVE THEM……..save their jobs…..save their savings…..”clean up” the WASHINGTON MESS………clear out the lobbyist groups…….etc etc etc.
In Pakistani context:
A large section of Pakistanis think that CJP Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry WILL SAVE THEM……..save their jobs…..save their NATION…..”clean up” the POLITICS AND JUDICIARY………clear out the criminal groups…….etc etc etc.
It is a different matter that the very same day when the long march was called off………SWAT TALIBAN ASKED THE JUDGES TO STOP WORKING AND STOP COMMING TO COURTS.!!!!!
Any ‘long march’ this time??
To whom it may concern
What ever said, better understood by the writer herself, misuse of English language, is brilliant, and beyond a common man’s vocabulary.
Finally, after witnessing the container-communication blockage drama of the government, we should now accept that our leadership may be suffering from a collective case of Akrasia – which is a recognized psychological condition defined as “the state of acting against one’s better judgment”.
I corrected Reognised and judgements. to help make it perfect, but was unable to solve the mystery, she presented.
Dear Maham, Altaf Sahib
You are right, verbal misuse is allowed, and you are welcome. But as you said verbal abuse should Be dealt with “control yourself” attitude, When we try to control ourselves, trouble seems to go away, and we feel like Commander in Chief of control and command center of brain, sudden impacts, activities.
Kaha hum Cheen ho ayeen kaha tum Cheen ho aayo
Kaha Japan ka dar hai Kaha Japan tu hoga
Masla hi Khatam ho gia.
Those comments were inadvertently removed and it is regretted.
TPS Service
(twice)>>>>>>>>>>>>>Mr. Aftab S. Alam Please refrain from abuse.
it seems old habbits die hard, how can he shunn , what he has been taught at home?
just imagine someone called Aftab a ” an incredible, mature, intellectual and knowledgeable person”
if i am not mistaken it was maham javaid
kia zamana agaya hai
i guess now even green parrots in pakistan have started to spread rumors……..and poor inocent people become the pray of these green parrots
kia zamana agaya hai
WOW !
Aftab is veeeeeery angry
No, no I am not angry at all.
Just trying to point out the TPS’ ’selective decency’, one may call it hypocisy of extreme degree. This is just couple of rather ‘harmless’ little samples of ‘decency’ and ‘decent expression’, perhaps the folks at the TPS need such comments for some purpose which is beyond me. You know the message I pasted here addressed to poor Amna. Right above @ 12
We are also in the process of cleanzing that dirt once and for all. We are going to introduce user registration. That will root out such elements who are polluting the TPS. As far as comments on Amna’s articles are concerned, it was her decision to not to censor them at all.
regards
TPS Service.
Fine, then what you are saying is that if Amna wishes then use of any ‘language’ and ‘expression’ becomes decent and acceptable to TPS. But if some comments go against the ’sensibilities’ of some ‘terrorists’ then it is not acceptable to TPS. Double standards and hypocrisy at its worst.
Well then say it in so many words that you have decided to provide an instrument for anti peace ‘fundos’, the people working to Talibanize this country. Fine then, congratulations for this route you have taken to destabilize this poor country.
I used to consider you a gnuine and straight person - I used to!
By the way, you got some job of cleansing the ‘dirt’ TPS is drowning in it!
@ Double AA,
How frustrating it must be for a person of your ‘rank and calibre’ to see someone much much better than you. I assure you, you don’t have to take it all out on anyone here. What I believe about Aftab is the aftermath of more than one year at TPS. I have seen his comments and I have known him to be what I deemed him to be and YES, I say it AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN.
AFTAB, IS A MTAURE, INTELLIGENT, INTELLECTUAL AND KNOWLEDGEABLE PERSON. Need I say anymore? I have enough adverbs to fill this page with. As far as the truth goes, I happen to see the good in people. He may sometimes say some things which may not sit well with many people but I admire him for his courage, his way of speaking out without caring what people say about him. You can jump up and down, scream the roof down and still it won’t chnage my opinion. I have known him for a year while you are just new on TPS and certainly you can’t know him.
@ TPS
I think it is really pathetic how you singled out one person amidst a dozen of ‘crap hurlers’. There have been many times at TPS when I thought you must put your foot down but you never did. I almost believed you to be dead and now out of the blue you ‘criticize’ one person. BE FAIR. Let me quote some more of the comments to make you really see what is going on here:
Akhtar Zaman on March 15th, 2009 :
Amna, ye krne se pehle tum apne puberty define kr leteen!
Real photo of your chiknee vagina, I mean shaved vagina for our lust.
khurshid alam khan on January 31st, 2009 :
FOR THE ATTENTION OF Incredible indian (INCREDIBLE SLUMDOG)
Ghulam Rassol on January 31st, 2009 :
For incredible (FREAK) indian/ A frog of a blind well (same like his other fellow countrymen/women)
I think there are many others but you can spot them out. As for ‘cleaning the dirt’ it’ll take you a century and even then you won’t be able to do that!
>>>>He may sometimes say some things which may not sit well with many people but I admire him for his courage
maham javed
you admire him for being abusive?
to abuse, no courage required, it takes courage to restrain
you need to redefine your moral values, or is it the same parrot you are still following?
>>>>his way of speaking out without caring what people say about him.
you see maham
it is not a good quality to abuse and its even worse to do it without caring, and even worse to defend it like you are doing ,
@TPS
I think selectivity and choosy oblige is taking its position at this valuable platform.
It is true there are comments that are highly obnoxious in terms of lingo but this does not in any way refrain and curtail some one to float ideas as opinion thereby to be put under observation and rule of disrespect; by diffusing and discarding comments hence a deliberate prerogative being administrator; to throw him out in front and at and over from public domain.
I am unable understand why is it necessary to oblige some one at some place and disregard same sibling at similar or other place.
It is not at all necessary to write honorable as prefix before the name of this author, Shireen Mazari.
If President and similar executive can be drag and detonate on this or same platform with illegitimate attitude and disgusting terms as misbehave; she is and under no way an insignia of unanimous acceptance as holy truth who can not be mal handled, as verbal floats.
Though I am not at all a party to it; but yes; multiple time affectee.
No regrets and an issue.
Here what puts in to litigation is coerce of hatred that would ultimately be the talk and sharing of masses who arrives at this site as regular visitors.
I think being senior journalist she shall and should be aware of such verbal as well as personal attacks from different masses at different portfolios of her service hence retrieving condemning as per desire and taste of populace.
This must not be a new chapter or astonishing factor for her.
In my opinion it was a perspective vision as sight of commentator and under no means he or any body may be tagged as defaulter of ethics hence to be thrown out as mischievous.
People have rights to speak and give speech as and where they think it’s suitable.
What may be a rational and ethical to an individual; not necessarily be the part and parcel for another hence reserves rights as per perception and attachment as interpretation.
I don’t click my site as frequent to; my stay and clicks in terms of time; here.
I agree that what was floated and removed as obnoxious against respected Dr Shireen Mazari; has no relation with the term whatsoever but what about if some one calls; his or her pet or petty or paltry with similar respective name. Regards
See it your self you have bipartite this forum since policies that reflect segregations, disrespect for speech and opinion and of course overwhelming attitude to salute known and registered against unknown and striver does propel reservations as imminent long marches. Regards
abuse by anyone is condemable, unfortunate that aftab’s comments were caught in the net of the filter while others escape, just like a crook after being caught asks the police to go and catch others also or release him,
reminds me of the Danish Cartoons insulting the Holy Prophet(PBUH)
the Danes also justified their actions of courage to call spade a spade, and of course the “Freedom of speech/expression”
next thing i can guess is that maham will also praise the Danish Newspapers for their courage,
of course maham/aftab or any one else can do it , she/he/everyone is entitled to thier opinion
it is upon evryone of us to draw a line between freedom of speech and abuse,
was the insulting of the insulting the Holy Prophet(PBUH) freedom of speech or abuse
if what the Danish Newspapers did was right then it was wrong to ommit Aftab’s comments
or
if what the Danish Newspapers did was wrong then it was right to ommit Aftab’s comments
Aftab and Maham , please make your pick
Best Regards
was the insulting of the insulting the Holy Prophet(PBUH) freedom of speech or abuse
correction above , it is
was the insulting the Holy Prophet(PBUH) freedom of speech or abuse