You are hereFirst Drops Of The Rain (FreePakistan Newsletter #100)

First Drops Of The Rain (FreePakistan Newsletter #100)

02 April 2009

Long live the Black Coat Revolution!

Free Pakistan, a monthly newsletter, exists for the promotion of limited government, rule of law, protection of property rights, market economy, individual freedom, and private initiative. Its vision is a free and prosperous Pakistan; for only such a Pakistan can contribute positively to the creation of a free and prosperous world.

The Newsletter is an affiliate of Alternate Solutions Institute, Lahore, Pakistan, http://asinstitute.org, the first free market think tank of Pakistan.

The Alternate Solutions Institute is a registered, non-profit, non-political, non-governmental, educational and research organization. Its mission is to promote a limited responsible government in Pakistan under the rule of law protecting life, liberty, and property of all of its individual citizens without any discrimination.

For more information, comments and contributions, contact the institute at info@asinstitute.org
Website: http://asinstitute.org

Free Pakistan URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FreePakistan
Subscribe: FreePakistan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe: FreePakistan-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

DISCOVER YOUR POLITICAL LEANINGS! World's Smallest Political Quiz

Take the Quiz now and find out where you fit on the political map!
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html

PHILOSOPHY OF LIBERTY

What is Philosophy of Liberty? A screensaver by Lux Lucre and Ken Schoolland explains it.

Download and install it. http://www.free-market.net/rd/321907219.html ; http://www.jonathangullible.com

FIRST DROPS OF THE RAIN

By Dr. Khalil Ahmad

Equality is equity.
[Richard Francis, Maxims of Equity, 1728]

It was amidst the intense struggle to consolidate the gains made on July 20 (2007) under the historic judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan that reinstated the Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to his rightful constitutional position after he was rendered ineffective on March 9 (2007) by the then dictator General Musharraf, that the present writer in a piece, Rule of Law’s Minor Domains, in August the same year pleaded for the rights of all the citizens of Pakistan to the equal protection of the laws. He argued that under the dust of major issues such as Prime Minister’s and President’s powers, and other high profile constitutional issues, fundamental rights of the individuals must not be relegated to minor domains. They are in fact the major domains and mainstay of the constitution of Pakistan and that rule of law must extend to each and every citizen of Pakistan.

Now as after about 17 months the constitutional Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mr. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, has once again been reinstated to his rightful position, and a larger segment of population is looking towards him to make miracles in dispensing them with justice, a natural right long overdue to them, this writer once again wants to make the point that first drops of the rain should quench the thirst of the hapless ordinary populace. He does not mean to belittle issues such as implementation of the seven member judgment of the Supreme Court on November 3 (2007), subversion of the constitution on November 3 (2007), disqualification of Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, et al. His thrust is what should include the ‘focus’ of the present Supreme Court and that too as its top priority.

Just the other day the writer happened to put a question to one citizen who is considered to have no rights except to vote because she belongs to the most downtrodden class. He asked, “You know the Chief Justice has been restored?” She shied away, “Who? Shahbaz Sharif has been restored?” May be she would have voted for Shahbaz Sharif. Or, let’s come ‘down to earth’ logic, in case some affliction befell her where she will go that is why she knows about Shahbaz Sharif! After knocking at these or those doors including the local tiers of representation, finally she will go to her provincial or national assembly representative. This is how our system works. Even if she goes to the police or to the court for protection or for justice, she will look for such influential person/s who will help her get police and court on her side to give her protection and justice.

That means the executive branch of the state and its pseudo-agents i.e. influential persons inside or outside the government have overwhelmingly encroached upon the functions of the judiciary which stands nowhere as far as the ordinary citizens are concerned. We know the helpless courts making judgments, if they make any such judgments on merit, but unable to get them implemented. We know how government functionaries and police defy the courts’ orders. But the continuous suffering is the lot of the hapless ordinary citizens, not the fate of the culprits. This state of affairs must change for better now. That will help courts, their judges, and their judgments play their due role in the daily lives of the ordinary people.

For this to achieve, the present Supreme Court must work on the two fronts: lower courts and police. It is here in these two places that justice is dispensed with and is seen dispensed with also to the ordinary citizens. Sure, even if taken up honestly and sincerely, it will take time to improve things in both places since they have corrupted to such an extent. But that it has been taken up seriously must be made to be seen clearly by ordinary citizens. There lies the taste of the fruits of an independent judiciary for those who live on the farthest margins of our Pakistani society.

It should be made one of the two top priorities that the police delivers. As it is, the police in Pakistan has come to be acting as a friend of the criminals of all the hues, and they are treated as VIPs by it. It seems they patronize the police! Whereas the ordinary people fear the police and it is for strong reasons that no one opts for going to the police to report any crime. They do not want to be further victimized by the police after having fallen victim to the criminals’ high handedness. It is still narrated among the populace that when years back Punjab police went on a strike for about a week, crimes reduced considerably. Not that crimes were not reported, but because of the fact that criminals lost patronage and crimes did not take place at a greater scale. It also implies the absence of police from its “duty.” But that is just a manner of making the argument. Police reformation and transformation is what is needed desperately and urgently.

It needs no dwelling on the issue of complicity between the crime busters and the criminals, almost regularly news both in electronic and print media can be seen that tell the stories of police itself turned criminal. They in the guise of police rob and loot citizens, commit organized dacoities. Probably police is the top most institution of Pakistan that violates law with impunity and no fear of accountability. This all continues unabated despite police’s own internal checks. The lesser the rank of a policeman, the greater is the magnitude of his going against the law. In short, they behave like law unto themselves.

Another aspect of the degradation of police to the level of sheer criminality is the negligence of the courts in all the cases concerned with police. That exposes the heart of the courts where resides a matter-of-fact like soft corner for the police including government functionaries, maybe because they all belong to the same category, the officialdom.

It is for the courts to take steps to improve the situation immediately. First, they should really try to implement what existing rules and laws provide for in this regard. Second, they should go for change and improvement in existing rules and laws wherever it is needed. Third, they should take to reforms by introducing new rules and procedures to bring the performance of the police up to the mark of a civilized society. Let it be clarified here that in this regard part of the responsibility rests with the government and as we know that it is just useless to expect the government to take such steps but under the due pressure and supervision of the courts that the new courts with an independent spirit have been exhorted to deal with the issue of the police performance.

The second top priority is itself a matter of the courts’ own performance to be taken up by the courts to deliver as they should. In common words, the courts should realize that it is high time to make justice available to everyone whom it is due. Now it should not remain a rare commodity. That as it is proverbially said one should need to be wealthy, to be long living, and with an unfailing patience to seek justice, it should not happen now. The process of reformation in the lower courts should immediately be started.

The Honorable Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has this realization is amply demonstrated by his first address to the lawyers gathered in the Supreme Court to welcome his return to his chamber. He made no concealing of the fact of corruption rampant in the courts from top to bottom, resolved to root it out, and called upon the lawyers to bring it into the notice of the courts to be dealt with promptly. That it is a greater challenge for the lawyers who ran the rule of law movement so steadfastly is another test for their integrity that how far and how sincerely they act with the same vigor to turn the courts into real seats of justice.

As the rule of law movement successfully brought to the fore that ordinary people of Pakistan need and want justice, and not any material gain, and that they need and want to be protected what they have earned honestly and what is their own is what they expect from the courts to deliver to them. That it is the first and foremost duty of the government to protect every citizen’s life and his fundamental rights ensured in the constitution, it is for the courts then to make government deliver promptly and efficiently on these duties.

Last but not least, that as every citizen is equal before law, he has equal right to life, property, happiness, dignity and self-respect and that these are not the exclusive privileges of the elite classes should be seen taking place at least in police stations and courts, if not in the public departments and public life. That there has come a qualitative change in the highest seat of justice in Pakistan should be felt by those who live on the edges and do not know anything about this change. They have been living in waiting for this for the last 62 years. First drops of this rain should exclusively be meant for them! That will be the beauty and the blessing of this change!

AFTER THE RESTORATION

By Babar Sattar

[The writer is a lawyer based in Islamabad. He is a Rhodes Scholar and has an LL.M from Harvard Law School. This article first appeared in The News on March 28, 2009.]

Now that we are recovering from the euphoria of restoration, it might be an opportune moment to dwell on the logical follow-up required to fix our constitutional structure and deformed jurisprudence. The principled restoration of the deposed judiciary through an executive order is the first formal acknowledgement by the government of Pakistan that General Musharraf's actions of Nov 3, 2007, were unconstitutional. Thus, we now have in place a chief justice and other deposed judges holding the reigns of the judicial branch who had pledged to protect and defend the Constitution as it stood before Musharraf molested it on Nov 3. We also have in the ranks PCO judges, who swore to uphold and abide by the edicts of the general. In his post-Nov 3 phase of being the constitution-unto-himself phase, the general, by scribbling a new provision into the Constitution, also created an Islamabad High Court, which now continues to function as a valid court of justice. This is a much-needed court, but its constitutional status remains to be legitimised.

The question now vexing everyone is, how do we resolve the contradictions we are mired in? Can we live with a situation where the chief justice and deposed judges have been restored on an assumption that negates the explicit ruling of the Dogar Court in the Iqbal Tikka Mohammed Khan case (which "validated" Musharraf's unconstitutional actions of Nov 3)? If suspending and molesting the Constitution is an abhorrent crime under our fundamental law, aptly labelled as treason, can we have the perpetrator of such crime run amok amongst us making speeches to the media and every nincompoop still desirous of being saved by an ex-Khaki? Now that restitution of the constitutional judiciary has been accomplished, should the retribution of such vanguards of justice who aided and abetted the transgression of our fundamental law not be a logical next step?

This is the first time that we have found ourselves in a situation where effective legal defences against future praetorian rule, backed by mass public opinion, can be constructed. We have a judiciary headed by judges who successfully withstood the coercion of a dictator and the enticing logic of expediency. We have an army that has limited interest (and ability) at the moment to interfere directly with the political and legal processes. We have the erstwhile dictator still around, and as conceited today as he was a decade back, if not more. We have no other stakeholders who would like to hold the necks out to shield Musharraf from accountability of his illegal acts. And we have a nation yearning for the enforcement of a rule of law that doesn't distinguish between offenders on the basis of their station in life.

The issue of undoing the consequences of Nov 3 might have been a political question over the last year and a half, while we had a judiciary that had sworn to protect the general and was complicit in his constitutional transgression. It is a purely legal question now that must be resolved in accordance with the dictates of our Constitution. A mass public movement brought about the restoration of the judges, thereby undoing one of the consequences of the unconstitutional acts of Nov 3. But undoing the act itself, addressing its remaining consequences and holding the transgressors liable will have to be brought about through formal judicial processes. In order to begin cleaning up the debris left behind by Musharraf, the court will need to start with Musharraf himself and the legality of his Nov 3 actions.

Concepts such as "holding the Constitution in abeyance" and "extra-constitutional actions" are contrivances of our Sharifuddin Pirzadas and, strictly speaking, mean nothing more than "transgressing the Constitution" and "unconstitutional," respectively. Our legal vultures have deliberately introduced such fabrications to window-dress the gaping holes poked in our Constitution by dictators. The fake distinction between "unconstitutional" and "extra-constitutional" creates wriggle room for "doctrines of necessity" to be sneaked in and such lexicon should therefore be excluded by our Supreme Court to cleanse our constitutional jurisprudence.

One lesson brought home by the rule-of-law movement was that the world of justice must have no room for expediency. There is overwhelming legal and political consensus in Pakistan that Musharraf broke the law and abrogated the Constitution on Nov 3, as a consequence of which the chief justice and other deposed judges were restored through an executive order. Not charging and trying Musharraf for criminal conduct is thus indefensible. It is not really for the court to determine whether or not it is desirable to try Musharraf, for the court doesn't have such arbitrary discretion. Article 6 of the Constitution mandates that "any person who abrogates or attempts to abrogate or conspires to abrogate, subverts or attempts or conspires to subvert the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason." And it further states that the "Parliament shall by law provide for the punishment of persons found guilty of high treason."

So let the court rule on the culpability of Musharraf under Article 6, and the Parliament can then debate the merit or desirability of actually punishing him if he is found guilty. Judicial matters are to be decided on legal principle, which leaves no room for expediency and political considerations in judicial discourse. However, the Parliament can draft law and make exception on the basis of policy compromises, and should it choose not to punish Musharraf in some "larger good" of the country, so be it. Further, even if the Parliament wishes to punish Musharraf, President Zardari can always pardon him in exercise of his discretionary powers under Article 45 of the Constitution. If the constitutional jurisprudence of Pakistan is to be resurrected and another khaki saviour is to be deterred from conquering his nation yet again, there is need to breath life into Article 6. The actual fact of Musharraf serving a sentence is not as relevant. But his getting convicted for molesting the Constitution certainly is.

But in addressing the actions of Nov 3, the Supreme Court will also need to delineate and define its own authority. This nation has moved back and forth between the Doctrine of Necessity being declared dead (as in the Asma Jillani case), to it being brought back from the grave (as in the Nusrat Bhutto case). What we require is a norm-setting epochal ruling that articulates a theory of democracy and holds in unequivocal terms that the Supreme Court, as a creature of the Constitution that derives all its authority from this fundamental law, possesses absolutely no authority to validate an unconstitutional action. Such concept once entrenched as part of our constitutional law and thinking will remove the stopgap stage presently available to our dictators, where they get themselves "validated" by handpicked court, before coercing or co-opting an engineered Parliament into providing constitutional cover to illegal acts.

Only after Musharraf's culpability is established will there be room to consider the role of judges who were complicit in his acts. It makes no legal or logical sense to go hounding accomplices, when the legality or lack-thereof of the act that they facilitated is yet to be determined. Presently there are at least five categories of judges. One, those led by the Chief Justice that have just been restored. Two, those who didn't swear an oath on Nov 3, but returned to the court last year under the Naek formula after swearing a fresh oath under the Constitution. Three, those led by Justice Dogar, who swore an oath to protect Musharraf's PCO on Nov 3. Four, those appointed after Nov 3, 2007, in consultation with Justice Dogar and have been confirmed after serving as additional judges for one year. And five, those appointed after Nov 3, 2007, in consultation with Justice Dogar by the Musharraf and Zardari regimes and are still serving as additional judges.

As for the fourth and fifth category, the Supreme Court will have to determine, as part of its review of the Nov 3 acts, whether or not the mandatory process of consulting the chief justice in appointing new judges was abided by while the de jure chief justice was deposed. In any event, judges from the fifth category will stand removed if they are not confirmed at the end of their initial term in office. Those in the first three categories were the constitutionally appointed judges as of Nov 3, 2007. None of them can be removed except in accordance with the procedure laid out in Article 209 of the Constitution. It would have been heartening if members of the Supreme Court bench that rendered the Tikka Iqbal Mohammad Khan ruling had accepted their fault and resigned on restitution of the deposed judges. But, then, it is probably unrealistic to expect scroungers to grow integrity overnight.

Once the culpability of Musharraf's acts is established, it will be for the government or the Supreme Judicial Council to determine if some judges in the third category above, who abetted Musharaf's acts, should be charged with misconduct and/or treason. It is time for the Supreme Court to look at the Nov 3 actions in a manner that justice is not only done but also seen to be done. And if the judiciary falters in holding its own accountable, the Parliament must institute a new mechanism for judicial accountability. To restate the obvious, the rule of law must equally apply to all citizens without exception, including judges and generals. [Courtesy The News]

FAILURE OF MICROFINANCE?

By Ahmad Rafay Alam

[The writer is an advocate of the high court and a member of the adjunct faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). He has an interest in urban planning. This article first appeared in The News on March 18, 2009.]

A person is considered to be in poverty when their daily income is less than two dollars, the amount of money needed to buy the basic foodstuffs for a healthy and productive life. Last month, the Planning Commission reported that Pakistan's poverty rate had jumped from 23.9 percent over the last three years to a staggering 37.5 percent. In other words, more than 60 million Pakistani barely earn enough money to feed themselves.

Some time ago, I was approached by subsistence farmers from Bahawalpur.

These were farmers who owned five acres of land or less, though most of the families in their area cultivated no more than an acre or two. They were some of the nearly 40 percent of Pakistani struggling to stay above the poverty line. And they had an incredible story to tell of the manner in which already impoverished farming communities were being forced into cyclical debt at the hands of poverty- alleviation and microcredit organisations.

Small farmers need only a few thousand rupees to pay for their input costs – the seed, water and labour needed to cultivate their landholdings. Cultivation earns them a few thousand rupees' profit. With this money and from some of the crop they harvest, they feed themselves and take care of their basic needs for the year.

Then along comes the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), a government-run NGO. It dazzles these poor, illiterate farming communities of tales of economic development through microfinance and poverty alleviation.

Tales are told of how the NRSP will create community organisations and loan its members Rs10,000 each, money they can use to pay for their input costs. And then some. Tales are told of how farmers can take the surplus and benefit from the infrastructure development the NRSP will bring: things like tube-wells, roads, schools, watercourses, and so on.

What the NRSP does not tell them is that it loans the Rs10,000 with mark-up. At the end of a year, the farmer is expected to pay back Rs12,000. What the farmer isn't told is that he won't even be getting Rs10,000. After deduction of registration fees (Rs1,200), bank-account-opening charges (Rs500) and fees incurred by the NRSP (Rs500), the farmer is left with considerably less. What the NRSP doesn't tell him is that his yield will scarcely cover the repayment of the loan.

Somehow, the farmers manage, and then the NRSP offers them Rs15,000, with the same registration fees and charges. This time the farmer has to pay back Rs18,000. Which he does. With some difficulty. And then the NRSP offers the farmer a loan of Rs20,000. And thus the story of circular debt begins.

The farmers who came to visit me had been in the NRSP for three to five years. None had a good word to say about the manner in which microcredit organisations were operating in their area. The farmers were illiterate and couldn't understand the terms on which they were taking money. One of the documents they signed to get the funds was in English. Some of its terms are:

"If any one member [of a community organisation] fails to honour the agreement, then all the others will be held responsible; Their possessions and/or monies can be taken from them to make up the breach; Their assets will be taken and auctioned off to recover not only amount lent, but expenses of lawyers, courts, agents and auctioneers as well as mark up, up to a maximum of Pk Rs. 1,000,000."

They could hardly understand the documents they were made to sign and mark, let alone the ones in English. Yet they had imparted their thumbprints on the documents, making them somehow legal. But how can such an agreement pass the litmus test of law? Not when the people entering it had no means to understand its terms and conditions. The documents the farmers were made to sign do not contain any reference to the mark-up they have to pay.

Many had pawned whatever gold or silverware they had in their homes. Some recipients of NRSP loans had been forced to sell plants and fruit-bearing trees to pay back their loans. Others were being forced to sell their land. Yet others were forced into the clutches of other microfinance organisations or, worse, usurious moneylenders.

The situation was alarming enough for the federal ministry of food, agriculture, and livestock to commission a report of what was going on. The report is terrifying. In Mehrab Goth, a tehsil in Bahawlapur, 2,396 households out of a total of 3,800 are in debt to the NRSP or other microfinance institutions. They are not just in debt, they are poor. They are not just poor, they are impoverished. Some cannot even afford to feed themselves and their families once a day. At the same time, in Islamabad and throughout Punjab, political bigwigs debate the finer points of democracy. The dining tables at the Presidency and at Raiwind overflow with the munificence of their hosts.

The NRSP isn't the only player in the region. Other microfinance institutions include Khushali Bank and the First Micro-Finance Bank.

These organisations have it good. They get their funds from international donor agencies or other banks, which are more than happy to lend at market rates without the bother of having to open up branches in far-off places. The microfinance institutions merely tack their service charges onto this rate, jacking up the mark-up and making their rates unconscionable. As long as the villagers keep on paying, the officers and employees of the microfinance institutions can earn their salary and perks.

On March 12, the Planning Commission hosted a conference on the state of microfinance in Pakistan and during which meeting recommendations were made for the future. The farmers were heard. The recommendations must be: stop the usurious business of microfinance in Bahawalpur and elsewhere. Write off, just as India did a few years ago, the debt accrued by the poor borrowers. Take action – including winding up – of those institutions that knowingly took advantage of the poor. There are far too many starving Pakistanis for our rich, well-fed politicians to ignore. [Courtesy The News]

Letters to FreePakistan

SHORT MEMORIES
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles, Usa]

Sadly, we carry extremely short memories. Is it only me or does anyone else too finds the firestorm raging over US Senator Feinstein’s drone comments bit odd?

Even at the height of 2002 Indo-Pak standoff, didn’t Pakistan give the Americans unfettered access to three of its bases; namely, Jacob-Abad, Pasni and Shamsi? What did people think of the news reports of American aircrafts (including the Predators) crashing around these bases? Does it take a rocket scientist to figure out the drones were crashing around these bases because they were operating from these bases!

If I am not mistaken, first incident took place in January 2002, when a US Marine KC-130 on a final approach crashed into a mountain near Shamsi. Whereas, the first drone crash was reported in July 2002. The drone was said to have crashed upon a takeoff from the Shamsi airfield.

For goodness sake, one Predator could be seen even on Google Earth (as late as 2007), parked on a base near Quetta.

The mere fact that Pakistanis hold an American Senator’s word over their own government’s denials should serve as an embarrassing wakeup call for the politicians who claim to be carrying people’s mandate vis-a-vis their trust. Clearly there is a trust deficit! A byproduct of a long list of broken verbal and written promises.

WEBSITE
[Nayyar Siddiqi, Lahore]

good new website

NEW WEBSITE
[Fazal Amin Beg, M.Phil, Hunza, Pakistan]

Pleased to learn that you have launched a new website www.asinstitute.org which is a not-for-profit and apolitical but rather its roots would be based in research. Research-based development initatives lack in the country. This is a great initative, indeed if vis-a-vis your vision and mission, your goals, objectives and activities would carry on in order to achieve the desired results. Congratulations and wish you and your team members all the best.

I had a birds eyeview on your website. This sounds nice. Being a student of anthropology and research, I'd like to extend my comments/feedbacks in a broader (holistic) perspective, if allowed.

The categorization of the thematic areas are good, but I would like to suggest you to add the following themes also, as a holistic development in this unfortunate country is imperartive:

1. Education;
2. Culture; and
3. Diversity and Pluralism.
4. Civil Society Organization

[EDITOR’S NOTE]

We did add Education and Culture! Thanks!

DEAR THINK TANK
[Ahmad Kamal Khattak, Peshawar]

I mailed you an article I wrote after a lot of brain storming. I wonder why don't you guys publish it any where and whats the problem in it. I know I criticised the Army in an active manner but frankly speaking your high rise slogans won't do much as long as you don't have courage to publish original stuff. I am attaching it once again and if you do not have a policy diffference, kindly publish it some where as i have wasted alot of energy on it. Even if you publish it, it won't make any difference I know so dont worry.

[EDITOR’S NOTE]

It’s the editor’s prerogative to publish or not to publish any piece sent to him! Your letter is included!

NEW WEBSITE
[Ghazala Khan]

. . . , first congrats on your new project.

NEW WEBSITE
[Olaf Kellerhoff, Resident Representative, Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung Für Die Freiheit, Islamabad, Pakistan]

congratulations to your new website! Clearly structured it gives a good insight to your work and comes up with a lot of information. I wish it that it successful regarding your aims.

P.S.: Only, I have missed the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation as a useful website. Isn't it useful?

PAKISTAN RANKS 90 OUT OR 115 COUNTRIES
[Fazal Maula]

it is embarassing, we are shamfully lagging behind in walk of life. What can one expect from this country blind leaders. I do not think if they are alive. Let us say " Inna lillahi wa inna elaihe rajioon" for them as they are actuaslly who dead.

Thanks for the work. at least it would open up the eyes of general public.
With good wishes'

PAKISTAN RANKS 90 OUT OR 115 COUNTRIES
[Shahzadah Mudassar Nazar, Jhang]

what a thought provoking email. I m thankful to u for keeping my knowledge update.

ABSOLUTE POWER BLINDS ABSOLUTELY!
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles, Usa]

Upon a glance over the modern history of political blunders, one observation stands out: absolute power blinds absolutely!

For example, take dictators like Pervez Musharraf and Sadam Hussain, or fascists like Adolph Hitler and Slobodan Milosevic, or democratically elected leaders like Newt Gingrich and Nawaz Sharif; all of them were blindsided when they thought they had consolidated absolute power.

The only explanation of sudden death of their political eminence I can think of is that such people must live in a state that disconnects them from reality. Perhaps, the ‘yes men’ induced blindness cloaks the public tolerance for their shenanigans.

By all accounts, Mr. Zardari too has surrounded himself with a small circle of courtiers, none of whom can see the mood on the street. By imposing Governor's, he too has tried to maximize his power. Unless, Zardari presidency has new tricks up in its sleeves, it is primed to become yet another statistic of the historical blunders.

FreePakistan NEWSLETTER # 99
[Dr Reza Hossein Borr, London, Uk]

Dears Dr. Khalil Ahmad and Miss Ayesha Siddiqa

I read your articles (Siege from within, By Dr. Khalil Ahmad; Populism vs. democracy, By Ayesha Siddiqa) with great pleasure. They are among the best analysis I have come across recently.

I live in London. I am from Iran but I consider Pakistan my second home. It is disheartening to see such self-destructive behaviours in the four countries of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Iran.

People who are not fair to each other are doomed. What is the way out?

JUST FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
[Anwar Jalal Khattak, Peshawar]

The current political crisis caused by the undemocratic and authoritarian act of Zardari government, is no doubt having many negative impacts, however ,if looked from an other angle ,it has its positive aspects too .One of them is that it has helped in illuminating the significances of independent judiciary and its worth for the cause of true democracy and rule of law to greater number of public .That in turn may well augment the enormity and gist of the lawyers movement, struggling for the independence of judiciary since the last two years On that basis it is anticipated that since on ward the movement and particularly its planed long march would be supported by more greater number of people with more enthusiasm and it will gain new momentum with fresh spirit and determination .In the prevailing circumstances .the movement is considered, by many sections, as a great ray of hope for the cause of true democracy and rule of law It success, according to them, will be a great step for that cause. If auspiciously that come about then the recent undemocratic act of the government (imposition of governor rule in Punjab) may be termed as blessing in disguise

ABYSS
[Atif Shamim Syed, Karachi]

On 27 February, 1933 at 21:25 hrs, a Berlin fire station received a call that the Reichstag (Parliament) building was ablaze. By the time the police and firefighters arrived, the main Chamber of Deputies was engulfed by flames.

A thorough search of the building discovered a man named Marinus van der Lubbe. Van der Lubbe was a communist. The fire was used as evidence by the Nazis that the Communists were hatching a plot against the German government. The event became pivotal in the establishment of Nazi Germany.

After becoming Chancellor and head of government in 1933, Hitler needed to abolish democracy by passing the Enabling Act which required a vote by two-thirds majority in the Reichstag. At that time the Nazis had only 32% of the seats and thus were in no position to pass the Act.

The day after the fire, Hitler asked for and received the Reichstag Fire Decree, signed into law by President Hindenburg using Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution. The Decree suspended most civil liberties in Germany and was used by the Nazis to ban publications not considered "friendly" to the Nazi cause. Despite the fact that Marinus van der Lubbe claimed to have acted alone in the Reichstag Fire, Hitler, after having obtained his emergency powers, announced that it was the start of a Communist plot to take over Germany. This sent Germans into a panic and isolated the Communists. With Communist electoral participation also suppressed, the Nazis were able to increase their share of the vote from 33% to 44%. This gave the Nazis and their allies a majority of 52% in the Reichstag. This was not enough to pass an Enabling Act. However, there were important factors in Hitler’s favor: the continued suppression of the Communist Party, and the Nazis' ability to capitalize on national security concerns. Moreover, some deputies of the Social Democratic Party were prevented from taking their seats in the Reichstag using arrests and intimidation. As a result, the Enabling Act passed easily on March 23, 1933 and gave Hitler the right to rule by decree. In effect, it made Adolf Hitler the complete master of Germany.

In 1946 Allied Intelligence officers found a copy of a letter to Hindenburg in which the writer said he was one of the twenty-two storm troopers who had been assigned by Captain Ernest Roehm ( Hitler’s second in command) to start the Reichstag fire. The letter described in detail how the fire had been started in twenty-two spots with gunpowder and strips of celluloid, and revealed that Van der Lubbe was only a scapegoat

New research by two German authors, Bahar and Kugel also supports this finding. They claim that the Rechistag fire was actually set off by the Nazis. The source of these findings is the Gestapo archive in Moscow. They say that a commando group led by Hans Georg Gewehr set the fire using self-lighting incendiaries, and that Van der Lubbe was brought to the scene later.

There are various examples in history where certain events have been engineered in order to whip up public sentiment against a certain party or a group of people. The negative sentiment is then used as a carte blanche for taking excessive (often inhumane) measures against that same group which has already been demonized in the public’s eyes. When such an event occurs, it is the duty of every one of us to try and see through the façade. The easiest manner in which these situations can be analyzed is to establish two things: motive and benefit.

If Germans, in 1933, had applied the same analysis to the Reichstag fire incident, they would never have let Hitler become their un-opposed leader and could have saved themselves from the abyss in which the Fuhrer hurled them in the end.

REHMAN MALIK'S SOURCE OF POWER
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles, Usa]

Please allow me to offer my sincere apology to the Sri Lankan guests for failing to protect them. However, I am beaming with pride for the bravery of our policemen we witnessed on the TV screens. I salute the brave sons of soil, who kept their word in spirit even at the cost of their lives. I have no doubt Pakistan will survive through this storm too, just like it weathered countless other calamities throughout its 60 years of history.

If we didn’t know any better, it would appear certain people in the highest circles of the government never miss an opportunity to lay the blame of every terrorist act -- around the globe -- on Pakistan; they will do so this time too.

. . . Rehman Malik . . . has to be Mr. Zardari's man. How else a person who miserably failed to protect the life of his boss could have been promoted to a ministerial position? Anywhere else in the world a professional worth his salt would have tendered his resignation upon the first horrendous failure; and here despite sitting over one after other monumental failures, like Ms. Bhutto’s assassination, Marriot blast and now Lahore attack, Mr. Malik is still allowed to go strong. God forbid, if Mr. Zardari or his party would have dared to ask for his resignation.

Hopefully one day we will find out the powers to be behind Mr. Malik iron grip over one of the most important offices in the Pakistani security apparatus.

FreePakistan NEWSLETTER # 99
[Katherine Aaishah]

I have been especially busy and have not been able to read them, but this morning I am checking messages and took some time to read the quotes of the month and was inspired to write you this quick message.

I really enjoy the James Madison quote. It puts the responsibility into the hands of the people. Shabir and I were waiting in an office where television was on with breaking news about the dismaying event at Lahore's Gaddafi stadium. We immediately complained about Zardari. It seems that cricket is now finished in Pakistan... at least in international competition. We all felt that Musharaff was a much better leader and moaned that the populace voted as they did. I once asked Asim about voting. He says he does not. Shabir also does not vote here in Srinagar. Then who is voting if the educated public are not? What kind of government is then elected? Certainly it can only end poorly if one does not make an effort to choose a good leader.

Then the George Washington quote makes me think of the situation here in Kashmir and over the border there in the Karakoram mountains... the armies are situated in these areas with guns in arms, but there is no purpose at all, and they are bored with nothing to do. It all costs the people a lot of money. The leaders make no solution and nothing changes.

FreePakistan NEWSLETTER # 99
[Khalid Mahmood]

If u really want credentials for ur news letter pl avoid the self proclaimed academics like Miss Ayesha. U would appreciate that interest lies in analyses and conclusions focused on future and not narartion of events.

RE: SECURITY LAPSE OR SECURITY COLLAPSE
[Moid Alam, Usa]

In ur Jeffersonian ideals, whats the solution? Are you advocating a strong central govt frce for law and order or private security force? Should ppl sit idle while the federal govt does not perform and does not let others perform these bare minimum services?

[EDITOR’S NOTE]

I tried to avoid the political blaming and my own biases and ideas away while I wrote this piece, and I focused only on the performance of police. What I wanted to say is that why we need to have police, of course to give people protection; and it should serve that purpose as a professional force, and government should let it work as a professional force. How a policeman is recruited and how he is "used" throughout his service will never let him act professionally.

Also, I would like to add that as in golf it is said that 'you gotta play it where it lies,' it's no place and time in Pakistan to opt for private security. A country where no law and no rule of law exist, what we need first is the rule of law, and I do mean strict implementation of whatever laws we have now. Of course I have in mind the constitution of 1973.

RE: SECURITY LAPSE OR SECURITY COLLAPSE
[Moid Alam, Usa]

I read ur Libertarin articles with zest, and appreciate them. Most of the times, I agree with you, but my strong libertarian streak just can't fathom that we all wait for federal govt to make amends. But I guess, its the provincia autonomy is the key here, and then comes autonomy of cities. When the deferal govt could impose governor rule and kick out all career police official because it can't trust them in policitical battles, then thats the first issue to deal with.

[EDITOR’S NOTE]

That was what I did not want to dwell on because everyone in Pakistan was harping on that theme. It's OK, but if it were a professional police, the change in its hierarchy should not have made any difference in its performance. We daily watch the faces of these goofs, without any sign of intelligence in their behavior. So the minimum that we can expect from any police at least it should show that. I do agree with you that there should not be any intervention from fed in the provincial affairs. I did not discuss that. I believe that provincial autonomy will solve many of the problems we face now.

RE: SECURITY LAPSE OR SECURITY COLLAPSE
[Moid Alam, Usa]

I usually see ur articles on Writers Forum, and CRDP groups. I have also seen ur website articles. Its good work, we need to see more libertarian falovor in Pakistan's left. Most of the leftists in Pakistan are still entrapped in Socialist ideals.

WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS EXPLAINED IN SIMPLE TERMS . . .
[FM Shah]

Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin. In order to increase sales,she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans). Word gets around and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages. Her sales volume increases massively.

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for undue concern since she has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items. One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager (subsequently of course fired due to his negativity) of the bank decides that slowly the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. However they cannot pay back the debts. Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %. The suppliers of Heidi’s bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor. The bank is saved by the Government following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties. The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

. . . Finally, an explanation I understand . . .

PAKISTAN IN REBIRTH!
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles , USA]

All I want to say: Whenever a nation came out on streets, it was reborn! Now its Pakistan's turn!

MQM, RACISM AND THE PCO
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles , USA]

Once again, MQM has lived up to its reputation. As usual, on March 15 too MQM stood with the ruling clique. This time too, Punjab was the victim of its racially charged attacks. They hoped to create a rift between Punjab and other provinces, like when they tried to stoke racial tensions over the desecration of Ms Bhutto’s shrine. Predictably, MQM’s unsubstantiated accusations were followed by empty threats to quit the alliance. By now, everyone and their grandmother knows, if not within the same hour, MQM would retract the hollow threats within 24 hours; as MQM’s lust for ministries always trumps its so-called principals.

Just like MQM supremo Altaf Bhai, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman too specializes in opportunistic politics built on the foundations of racial hatred. He also desperately tried to marginalize the Lawyers’ Movement through whipping up racial tensions.

It’s hard to speculate on their true intentions or to say who their P.R. advisors are, but somehow these gentlemen always manage to line themselves with the rulers and on the wrong side of the history.

On a separate note; I would dare to give the latest round of political standoff to Mr. Zardari. He shrewdly managed to legalize Dogar appointment. Forced Lawyers’ Movement to conclude without giving an inch to the resolution of Punjab crisis. Belligerent Punjab governor is still in the driving seat, and no heads have rolled over the flagrant misuse of the state power. PML-N is forced to roll back its street power, and the legislators are still nowhere even close to clipping dictatorial powers of Zardari. Even worst, it’s anyone’s guess, the makeup of the Supreme court Chief Justice Chaudhri will inherit, or if there are any strings attached to his restoration?

To a layman like I, anything short of a complete reversal of November 3, 2007, PCO should be unacceptable.

REASONS OF REVOLT
[ATIF SHAMIM SYED, KARACHI]

On October 23, 1956, amid great civil unrest, the popular leader of Hungary Imre Nagi began addressing a large crowd in Budapest: “ Comrades!....”

In an apparent rejection of the Communist salutation, Someone in the crowd screamed : “ We are not comrades!”

This Spontaneous remark by an unknown person ignited a rebellion that raged on till November 10, 1956, claimed thousands of lives and threatened to end Soviet hegemony in Eastern Europe. What had begun as a demonstration, became a bloody revolt as students of the Budapest University joined hands with the workers in the Red Island industrial complex in an armed struggle to get rid of Soviet backed Working Peoples’ Party and its dreaded security police AVH.

By the end of October all Soviet troops had been kicked out of Hungary and a popular government had been established in Budapest.

The Soviets returned on November 04, 1956 with T54 tanks and hundreds of thousands of Latvians on the frontlines. It took them just five days to crush the rebellion.

Budapest university, which the students had turned into a fortress, was razed to the ground, entire residential blocks were destroyed and people were indiscriminately shot, arrested and shipped to the concentration camps in Siberia. Most of them never returned.

The whole Hungarian excercise failed to achieve anything. Yet historians consider it a revolution.

What exactly is a revolution?

The English dictionary explains Revolution as follows: “an overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.”

There is a long list of Revolutions and uprisings in the past century and all of them cannot be stated here. If we only study the ones that took place after 2000. The strange thing which is common in more than 95% of these revolutions is that they have been brought about by people of same ethnicity. The only two exceptions are the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and the Naxalite revolt in India. Both movements have ethnically diverse members but unfortunately both have not yet been concluded and cannot be commented upon at this point in time.

But there is another characteristic of all these revolutions that is even stranger than the one stated above: most of these revolutions have been staged against people also belonging to the same ethnic group:

The Bulldozer revolution in 2000 in former Yugoslavia was brought up against Slobodan Milosevic’s by his fellow Serbs.

The 2001 EDSA revolt against President Joseph Estrada was engineered by his fellow Philippinos.

The 2003 Rose Revolution, against Eduard Shevardnadze was again whipped up by his fellow Georgians.

The 2004 Orange Revolution against Viktor Yanukovych of Ukraine was organized by Ukrainians themselves.

The 2005 Cedar Revolution, triggered by the assassination of Rafik Hariri, asked for the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. In this case all parties to the conflict were Arab with strong linguistic and cultural ties.

The 2005 Tulip Revolution overthrew the President of Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akayev, and set new elections. You can guess who brought about this revolution. The people of Kyrgyzstan.

The 2007 Burmese anti-government protests, including the Saffron Revolution of Burmese Buddhist monks.

And the most recent Bangladesh Rifles revolt, a revolt by jawans of the border guard paramilitary of Bangladesh, killing over 50 senior BDR and Bangladesh Army officers. All parties to the conflict were Bengalis.

The above examples illustrate the changing pattern of revolts in the whole world (but especially in countries that were formerly colonies or satellites). While the rebellions in the past century concentrated on colonial powers, the rebels of the new millenium have turned against their own. This brings us to the most important question in present situation:

What will be the enduring glue that will bind nations together?

I have been thinking about this since our brush with revolution last Sunday. I will be very grateful if you could comment.

USA WOULDN’T SUCCEED ON ‘WAR ON TERROR’ WITHOUT JUDICIAL REFORMS
[Hem Raj Jain, (U.P.), India]

No use of going into the debate that how much intervention by USA and other friends of Pakistan, in order to save ‘global war on terror’ was responsible for March 16 patch up regarding ‘Long March’. As far the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chowdhary is concerned it was over-due since the time Musharraf failed to sustain the impeachment proceeding against Iftikhar.

On one side whereas credit should be given to the lawyers community of Pakistan not only for ensuring that Musharraf is punished at the cost of his presidency and Zardari humbled (through two mass movements which were ignited and provided respect to by lawyers, first supported by political parties including PPP and second excluding PPP) thus paving the way for Iftikhar’s reinstatement on March 21, 2009 but also (in this process) for providing unprecedented & immense strength to democratic forces in Pakistan.

On other side the lawyers community of Pakistan will fail in their national duty if they rest content by merely getting justice to the institution of Supreme Court and do not similarly invest their time and energy for the cause of “rule of law” and do not help Government of Pakistan in reforming the judicial system (which, like India, is as good as non existent for the majority of economically humble people of Pakistan)

But contrary to India, there is an urgency for judicial reforms in Pakistan because not only in SWAT (where fundamentalists including Taliban etc are favoring rudimentary Islamic Courts) but in other parts of Pakistan also such Islamic Courts (Nizam-e-Adal) are being praised and even demanded by the people and their leaders and influential citizens mainly because of the cheap and speedy justice they dispense. Therefore if the world community (especially USA and its allies) want to succeed in ‘war on terrorism’ then cheap and speedy justice delivery system in Pakistan is a sine-quo-non.

Moreover, any body who has practiced law in courts knows that the following judicial reforms through legislation in Pakistan (which follows judicial system similar to one in India) are imperative, in the interest of cheap & speedy justice:-

(1)- Supreme Court should display at its notice board (and also on its website) the periodic (preferably quarterly) “CONSOLIDATED REPORT” of the status of all the cases in Pakistan. This ‘consolidated’ report will be on the basis of “JUDICIAL WORK REPORT” submitted by all the
High Courts of Pakistan which will be prepared on the basis of “STATUS REPORT” of all the cases in Subordinate Courts (District and Lower Courts) by District Courts submitted to respective High Courts and in which status of the various stages of all the categories of the pending cases will be projected. In this computer age, the preparation of these reports is not at all a difficult task but it will be a major factor in making judicial system cheap & speedy.

(2)- Supreme Court, on the basis of this “CONSOLIDATED REPORT” will, if necessary, submit its recommendations & suggestions to the President of Pakistan and which will be sent by President to the Federal and Provincial Governments for consideration and necessary actions.

(3)- The main reason for costly and delayed justice is that the advocates at District Courts, High Courts and Supreme Court head quarters who live over there, distant from the direct eyes of the litigants, have been able to make the judicial system costly and delay prone mainly due to the reason that (i)- the advocates from villages and towns are half baked and (ii) the advocates from villages and towns and their clients do not have any cheap lodging & boarding facilities at these head quarters where they can pursue the cases as vigorously and at nominal cost as they do at lower court level in their villages and towns. Therefore this fatal lacuna of judicial system needs to be removed if the objective of cheap and speedy justice is to be achieved.

(4)- No advocate should be awarded “License to Practice” (sanad) of (full fledged) advocate by High Courts / Supreme Court unless he / she practices for a minimum period in High Court / Supreme Court, because no advocate is worth the name unless he knows how to invoke the jurisdiction of the courts of records (what havoc the half baked advocates are inflicting on their clients in Subordinate Courts of India is only to be experienced to believe). Other advocates should be awarded “License to Practice” (sanad) as deputy or assistant or junior or apprentice or any other such name by respective High Courts / Supreme Court.

(5)- Same advocate who fights case in lower court should be required to fight the case in District Courts and High Court / Supreme Court in appeal and revision, unless he is a full fledged advocate and is allowed to have associates at superior courts.

(6)- At very reasonable cheap rates for lodging and boarding, the rest houses (with library of law books, reporters and journals) should be built at District Courts and High Courts / Supreme Court where the advocates from villages and towns can come and stay in order to fight the appeals and revisions and writs. These advocate’s rest houses can be administered by Bar Councils.

(7)- At very reasonable cheap rates for lodging and boarding, the rest houses should be built at district courts and High Courts / Supreme Court head quarters where the litigants from villages and towns can come and stay in order to fight the appeals and revisions and writs.
These litigant’s rest houses can be administered by Bar Associations / Governments.

(8)- There should be a committee of High Court Judges in all the High Courts which will examine every case file (which will come to High Court in appeal or revision or writ proceedings) to check whether undue delay has been caused due to mischievous and unbecoming attitude of the presiding officers of the subordinate courts (and if so then suitable strictures or punishments against such derelict presiding officers of the subordinate Courts). After High Court case proceedings are over, these requisitioned files should be allowed to be sent back to subordinate courts only when this committee puts its seal on it.

HumorWise

DOGAR DESERVED FAREWELL DINNER AT THE PRESIDENCY
By Anjum Ibrahim

[This dialogue first appeared in Business Recorder on March 25, 2009.]

"So the much maligned CJ (retired) was given a farewell dinner by the President."

"And God bless Fauzia Wahab, a photograph of the momentous event was taken by the official news agency APP, and some newspapers carried the picture."

"So whats the big deal?"

"The picture may be the Presidents way of thumbing his nose at the Sharifs."

"No if it had been so, the President would have invited the Sharif brothers."

"I dont think the President is in any mood to invite the brothers to any meal at his house."

"Even if he doesnt foot the bill for the meal?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"All dinners at the presidency are paid for from the taxes you and I pay."

"Ah I see what you mean. The President may pay for his and his cronies foreign tours but not for the food at the presidency."

"Maybe he should set a precedence..."

"Dont be absurd."

"So anyway CJ Dogar was a happy camper as was the President."

"I even saw a smiling Gilani."

"But surely as the former CJ he deserved at least a farewell dinner at the presidency."

"But why publicise it?"

"Beware of Ms Wahab, she has exhorted the press to do self censorship or else she maybe forced to step in."

"Didnt someone tell her that those days are over? Didnt she learn any lessons from Musharraf trying to muzzle the press and failing and..."

"I guess no one told her that. Whose fault is that?"

"Rehman Malik."

"Where does he come in?"

"I heard he is going to be the long march casualty and Gilani doesnt want him and..."

"So all blame must go to him now?"

"Thats the way the cookie crumbles in politics. And besides in the picture of the dinner Naek was present but not Malik."

"But Naek was the man responsible for the 2 November judiciary not being reinstated..."

"Who said politics makes sense." [Courtesy Business Recorder]

MOBILE JUSTICE
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]

It is unfortunate that the Government has reversed its earlier deacon regarding setting up of the Mobile Courts in the country. Finally the “mobile” revolution was about to make its mark in our “static” Judicial System. We have simply lost a golden opportunity to have Courts (read mobiles) which could be installed with Judges (read SIM) providing “Justice” at the doorsteps. To add to it, we were hoping for the introduction of mobile lawyers (read Packages) who could have represented the convicted (read subscribers) on the spot. [Pakistan Observer]

A BIG LAUGHTER
[Anum, Karachi]

The most respected intellectual freelance columnist Mr. Ardeshir Cowasjee in his recent column states that our rulers have no sense of humour. To me he is wrong. A news item dated 6th March, datelined Lahore reads: "Punjab Governor Salman Taseer has said the previous government did not intimate the current administration about the threats to the Sri Lankan Team". What a big laughter which noble Aredeshir Cowasjee does not see. The FBI last year reported about one Consular engaged in illegal issuance of Pakistani Passports to illegal persons. Immediately the Embassy and the concerned Consular accused the "previous" a dead official for issuing those.

Last week the tempering of record and loss of file about allotment of plots to the Supreme Court judges was reported when immediately the present Director General of Housing Foundation concerned blamed all this to the "previous" Director General.. But the biggest laughter is from Salman Taseer. He says the previous government (of Shahbaz Sharif) did not intimate to the present Governor's Ruled administration about threat to the visiting cricket team. Is the "previous" government materially still exists or existed when the Governor rule was enforced". On enforcement of Governor's rule did the Shahbaz Sharif Government still remained there, is still working to keep informing the present government. Under this Salman Taseer formula it means General Musharraf's government still exists and it should keep informing the present government. Mr. Ardeshir is this not a biggest laughter form our rulers which no other ruler in the world can create? [The Frontier Post]

NEVER MESS WITH THE LAWYERS
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]

Government should have avoided getting entangled with the Lawyers at the first place for everyone knows that the Lawyers by nature doesn’t even let their clients walk away easily without getting them ripped-off/broke. [Pakistan Observer]

A PART OF OUR LIVES
[Idrees Akhtar, Bahawalpur]

With the restoration of judiciary, loadshedding too has been restored in the country. The restoration of both are so timed that it seems as if the nation has been punished for the efforts made for the restoration of judiciary. With the return of loadshedding it seems that we have got a very important part of our lives back with us and with the increase in loadshedding, we feel like life returning to normal. [The News]

Issue of the Month: Marching along

IN OUR OWN HANDS
[Editorial The News]

We frequently persuade ourselves that all decision-making in the country lies outside realms controlled by people and it is indeed Washington or other powers, both internal and external, who dictate terms to us. The momentous events of early Monday morning should be enough to persuade us that we, as citizens, have the power to alter the destiny of our country and its people. The strength to do so lies in our own hands. Using that force is a matter of choice.

The restoration of the judges ends, for the moment at least, a two-year struggle to undo the wrong committed on November 3, 2007, when emergency was declared and a series of illegal actions taken under its cover. Since that day, former president Pervez Musharraf has been forced out of office – again because people wished to see him make an exit. Now, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry should, within days, resume charge as chief justice of Pakistan and the other judges ousted with him returned to benches. There is indeed plenty to cheer about. In the streets of Quetta, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Multan, Rawalpindi and other places the beat of drums rings out loud and clear. Joy has replaced uncertainty; people have been rewarded for their determined show in Lahore on Sunday, as streets filled with swarms of people and the police slid silently away. The containers moved in at enormous expense to thwart protesters eventually proved to have been of no use at all. Mian Nawaz Sharif has demonstrated his strength and proved inaccurate those who insisted that the PML-N had no street power. Prime Minister Gilani, denounced for months as a powerless puppet, has demonstrated that he possesses the ability to rise to the occasion and act independently when the need to do so is greatest. His steadfast effort to achieve reconciliation may have saved us all from yet more days of turmoil and destructive strife.

It is true that there is still some sense of confusion. People ask why activists who stand for liberal values have aligned themselves with forces of the right, including the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The fact that Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is not an uncontroversial character has been brought up. The lawyers and the PML-N have been accused of working with the establishment to destabilise a PPP government. This chaos of thoughts is an outcome of our particular political situation. We have seen the way in which past democratic governments have been maligned and brought down. Benazir Bhutto was a victim of such doings. Suspicion is rooted deep within our psyche. It is difficult to dispel it.

But the fact that parties no longer follow ideological lines; that the ANP and the PPP have backed Sharia in Swat and aligned themselves with the ultra-right JUI of Maulana Fazlur Rehman are also matters to be considered. Principle must in such circumstances prevail above the question of ideological affiliation or party loyalty. The issue is not that of an individual's character or standing. Basing decisions on such factors can create only more disarray. Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry had been wrongly removed from office. His restoration is, for this reason alone, the right thing to do. There can be no ambiguity about that. The refusal of the chief justice to compromise has paid off.

But amidst the rejoicing, there is also some need for caution. In the first place, we must hope that the promise to restore the deposed chief justice next week, on March 21 when Justice Dogar steps down, will be fully honoured. We have been witness to so many broken promises that all trust and faith has vanished. The prime minister must ensure it is restored. There is also a lack of clarity about what is planned in Punjab. People seek a restoration of a PML-N government. It is also not known as yet whether Governor Salmaan Taseer will have the grace to quit. Voices in Islamabad are blaming him for 'misguiding' the president – who appears to be incapable of reaching his own decisions. There are other figures too for whom people are gunning. But the immediate need is to reintroduce democracy in the country's largest province, allow its assembly to meet as soon as possible and elect its leader. The administration must be enabled to begin working smoothly once more and the ugly games of transfers and new appointments ended.

Other concerns are also cropping up. We are still not sure what is to become of the 'PCO' judges who took oath alongside Justice Dogar. This could become the subject of a new dispute with Mian Nawaz Sharif who, puffed up by the intoxicating power of success, may not be in any mood to compromise. Some fear too the opening up of a Pandora's box of cases, most notably that concerning the legitimacy of the NRO. We do not know if any deal has been struck on this behind closed doors; the outlines of the agreements that led to the dramatic announcement restoring the judges are still not known. Some efforts to play the 'Sindh' card also appear to be on. This is unfortunate and we must hope this factor is not played up in the future. What we need, most of all, at present is national harmony and integrity. The PML-N must play a role in this and prove itself to be a party able to reach out across provincial boundaries. We do not know how President Zardari reads the events of the past day or what his plans for the future are. It is assumed we will receive the answers to some of these questions in the coming days as the world heaves a collective sigh of relief over the end to chaos in Pakistan.

It is also important to remember this cannot be the end of the journey. The prime purpose behind the lawyers' campaign was to establish judicial independence. This quest must continue. In the longer run it is the stability of our institutions and their ability to play the role laid down for them in the constitution that can prevent Pakistan from being thrown into yet another period of turbulence in the future. These institutions must be strengthened and the achievement of the long marchers used as a means to help make further change possible. We could then truly say we have embarked on a journey towards success and a lasting change in Pakistan's fortunes.

FIRST STEP
[Sikander Khan, Islamabad]

The people of Pakistan are celebrating a great victory for democracy and constitutionalism today. After a struggle that lasted almost two years, Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, along with the remaining judges deposed by General Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007, has been restored by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani through an executive order. The announcement came hours before the Long March was to enter Islamabad, with many worrying that the clash between protestors and the security forces would turn violent, leading to further stability. Well, better late than never!

However, this is just the first step, as many wise analysts have reminded us. We should celebrate this moment, but we should also ensure that we don’t take two steps back after this monumental step forward. With the rehabilitation of the superior judiciary, the focus must now turn to reforming other aspects of governance, especially the lower-level judiciary. We also need to concentrate on the economy and on the security situation, which is the worst crisis the country has faced since 1971. Therefore, we should not lose sight of the other crises that still plague us. The resolution of the judicial crisis should therefore be the platform from which we launch a sincere drive to stabilise Pakistan. [Daily Times]

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
[Sardar Adnan Rahim, Dhaka]

My heartiest congratulations to the lawyers in particular and the whole nation in general on the restoration of the judiciary. The prime minister has shown that he is more powerful than what most people have believed him to be for the last one year. I hope the restoration is only a first step towards the long-term goal of a judiciary which is independent of influences from other state pillars not only at the apex level but also at the district court level. What has been agreed upon should not be a short-term 'understanding' between political parties to protect their long-term gains by limiting the powers of the chief justice or curtailing his period of service.

Another very positive aspect of the lawyers movement is the belief that struggles based on principles can still be successful in Pakistan, something most of my fellow countrymen did not expect. Resignations from a top minister and senior police officials are a breath of fresh air as well.
[The News]

REAL HEROES
[Zafarul Haq Memon, Karachi]

Real heroes are only and only Ch Iftikhar, the CJP, and Ch Aitzaz Ahsan (and the lawyers fraternity), because they avoided ego and saved the nation. As Justice (R) Fakhruddin Ibrahim put it (on a TV channel) that restoring Ch Iftikhar effective from 21st tantamounts to vindicating Nov. 3 position. Ch Iftikhar stood restored with the speech of the PM and was not required to wait till 21st. But Ch Iftikhar and Ch Aitzaz Ahsan (and the lawyers fraternity) showed their magnanimity and did not raise this point in the interest of the nation. So, they are the real heroes. [The Frontier Post]

A TRIUMPH FOR PAKISTAN
[Mervyn Hosein, Karachi]

Round 1 to Democracy. It is Round 1 again because for every step forward, our unhappy nation has a perverse habit of moving, as in a square dance, one step sideways and one back. Not since the mass unrest of the PNA that overthrew Pakistan’s first dictator has there been such a mass movement focused on the restoration of democracy, the Constitution and the rule of law. While both were against military dictators, that was an agitation triggered by a rigged election. Today, crucially, this is the culmination of a nearly two-year-long struggle for law and justice not specifically targeting a person but triggered by an unconstitutional act. We must be grateful to General Kayani for having stayed well within the shadows of the wings and helped the actors muddle through their lines!

It is ironic, and will be sad, if this is construed as a victory for Nawaz Sharif, the very man who stormed the Supreme Court, and was given this convenient bandwagon to latch on to! It would be sadder if this is coloured as a defeat for the present government. I hope the judiciary, restored under the Constitution, will not let the nation down, but with the entire legal community that has so far been disciplined and united, will seek to restore both the letter and spirit of that Constitution. Democracy is not easy to come by and we have, again, been given a chance to limp towards that day. One also hopes that our leaders and the demo-crazy (sic) mobs they control can balance euphoria and emotionalism with the national tendency for vindictiveness. If we can all look at this as a triumph for and strengthening of democratic and constitutional values the nation has a hope.

There were scenes on TV of the deliriously happy crowd outside the, now restored, CJ’s house chanting, “Rule of La!”(sic). One prays that as the process unfolds, the letter ‘W’ will be firmly and irrevocably united with the other two. [Daily Times]

BACK ON THE BENCH
[Editorial The News]

The moment that had been awaited by tens of thousands since November 3 2007 has finally come. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has resumed charge. He has vowed on his first day back on the bench to eradicate corruption in courts. The euphoric welcome he has received, with even police guards joining in impromptu celebrations as he appeared at the Supreme Court to resume duties, indicates just how big a moment this has become for ordinary people across the country. But they are obviously problems that must be faced. The apex court is divided between judges who took oath after November 3 2007 and those removed on that day. A petition challenging the appointments after that date has been moved. The outcome is awaited.

But we must remember that what we need at present is an end to dissention and a return to order. The main challenge for the CJ must be to demonstrate that he is capable of setting up a system that can meet the widespread demand for efficient justice. The extent to which people believe that this is essential to their well being has been demonstrated in the extraordinary turn-out of citizens from all walks of life in the rallies seeking the restoration of the deposed judges. The fact that men, women and children from across the social divide joined in this movement took two presidents by surprise. Neither former president Pervez Musharraf nor President Asif Ali Zardari had expected quite so much public passion for a cause that is seen as one unlikely to move the masses.

In the past, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry had built his connections with people by taking notice on his own accord of all kinds of cases of injustice reported in the media and elsewhere and bringing it to the apex court. This doubtlessly helped some obtain justice. But the real task must be to remedy the flawed functioning of the lower courts. The role of the Supreme Court cannot be to intervene in matters that should have been resolved at the district level. Through the past two years, the CJ, unusually for a man who holds the highest judicial office in the land, has had plenty of opportunity to interact with ordinary people. More than ever, he is aware of their needs and desires. He must then make the task of repairing a judicial system that, particularly at the lower levels, has fallen into complete disarray with cases delayed for months, years or even decades. By doing so he will have taken an enormous stride towards serving the cause of people who have stood by him month after month, braving tear-gas, police batons and barricades in their struggle to restore him to his post.

DAY OF DELIVERANCE
[Rehman Shukr, Rawalpindi]

One must appreciate the government’s decision to reinstate Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and help Pakistan move towards the independence of judiciary. Today is one of the proudest moments in the history of this nation and it is difficult to express this pride in words. Many who strived for this noble cause consistently for two years deserve our gratitude. We also owe this success to various political elements, including the PMLN, for their part in this movement. The media also played a highly positive and commendable role in all this and even suffered for its support to the cause. All those who participated and supported the Long March have made this county proud.

US Chief Justice Roberts said two centuries ago, “The power of Judiciary lies not in deciding cases, nor in Imposing sentences nor in punishing for contempt, but in the trust, faith and confidence of the common man.” I am confident that a fair and independent judiciary headed by the CJ Chaudhry will not disappoint the common Pakistani. However, while this is a huge step for the betterment of the country, a lot needs to be done yet. This is only the beginning. In 1939, the Muslims of British India celebrated a “Day of Deliverance” from the atrocities of the Congress government. March 16 marks a second day of deliverance against inequality and injustice. [Daily Times]

GLORIOUS MOMENTS
[A J Khattak, Peshawar]

A moment comes in the life of a nation where its people have to choose between right and wrong, between principle and faithlessness, between justice and injustice, between greed and moderation. Such moments are a great test for them and often require sacrifices. If on such occasions the people and particularly the leading sections prefer some material gains over justice and uprightness and set aside the lofty values then such a nation suffers from inner death. However, if they opt to make sacrifices for the upright cause, the inner aspect of the nation grows and such a nation has then a right to lead an honourable life .Though in our society few sections, particularly the ruling elites, are only interested in their personal interests, but fortunately there are still lot of sincere and selfless people who can look beyond their narrow self interests and can keep up the lofty values and thus are saving the Pakistani society from the inner death. The momentous Long March in which a lot of Pakistanis struggled and gave sacrifices for a lofty cause is a proof that the Pakistani society is alive. I salute all those worthy sons and daughters of the motherland who fought a heroic fight within their capacities. [The Post]

THE RETURN OF THE CJ
[Editorial The News]

The moment of triumph that we saw Sunday, as the national flag was raised once more over the Islamabad home of the man who resumes charge as Chief Justice of Pakistan, marks a historic moment that will become a part of history. Civil society activists who had waged a two-year struggle to see this victory were quite naturally jubilant. The accusations that former SCBA president Aitzaz Ahsan had tried to take credit for the success, with many key figures in the lawyers’ movement not a part of the ceremony, created an unfortunate note of disharmony. Even the PML-N leadership, whose role in the final push to restoration, was absent. But this cannot detract from the fact that a great deal has been achieved.

Those who stand with the CJ, and for justice, must however keep in mind that the road they have boldly marched down does not end here. The real purpose of the struggle was, after all, the independence of the judiciary. The effort to ensure that the judiciary can function independently must then go on. The unusual involvement of people from all walks of life in the judicial restoration also means there are now enormous expectations from the judiciary. The issue of access to justice is quite clearly one they feel passionately about. The families of the hundreds of people who remain missing have already expressed their expectation that relief will be offered up quickly. It may be recalled that the case of Pakistan’s ‘disappeared’ people has remained shelved since November 2007. There are others too who hope the return of the deposed CJ will usher in a new era of justice. His practice of taking suo motu notice of cases ranging from rape to robbery has become a matter of public discourse. But realistically speaking, it may not be possible to meet all these expectations. They are too overwhelming. The real aim of the judiciary must be to work towards creating a more efficient and equitable system, so that now and in the future people can obtain the justice they so ardently seek.

TIME TO GET TOGETHER
[Ammar Habib, Lahore]

The nation celebrated when Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, in the early hours of the morning of Monday, March 16, announced the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and other deposed judges. He also announced a review petition for the Sharif brothers’ case as well as the release of all political prisoners held under Section 144. Nawaz Sharif and the lawyers’ leadership called off the Long March following the prime minister’s announcement, and what many predicted would have been a violent showdown in Islamabad was prevented.

There are many positives in this situation, but it was disappointing to see the leadership of smaller parties like the Jama’at-e Islami sounding a note of bitterness amid the celebration. Leader of the Jama’at, Qazi Hussain Ahmad, led a rally in Islamabad on Monday, voicing his strong displeasure at the fact that the PMLN and lawyers’ leadership did not consult him before calling off the Long March. Instead of dwelling on such small issues, these leaders should celebrate with the nation and help us move forward. They should act on their word, i.e. they are doing this for the country, not for personal glory, and help stabilise Pakistan. [Daily Times]

REVOLUTION
[Abdul Rauf, Fateh Jang]

The unprecedented and unanticipated stimulus to the lawyers Long March by Pakistan Muslim League (N) has jolted the government sitting in the Capital. We are witnessing Pakistan crossing the most historical turning of its history as finally the government has bogged down under public pressure led by lawyers and political parties and have reinstated the illegally removed Chief Justice. I congratulate the lawyers, media, civil society and political parties for their unmatched struggle for the restoration of judiciary. This is just the start of a long journey for a prosperous Pakistan and I am sure that with our resolve we shall be able to reach the destination pretty soon, God willing.
[The Post]

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
[Muhammad Sajid, Copenhagen, Denmark ]

I want to congratulate my beloved countrymen and women on their historic achievement and would request them to remain peaceful and work hard with the same passion towards the progress of the country. My appeal to the chief justice is to please bring transparency and justice at the grassroots level. Most Pakistanis cannot even afford to pay for a lawyer or lengthy case hearings. Long live the great people of Pakistan. [The News]

HISTORIC DEFEAT & VICTORY DAY
[Khalid Mustafa, Islamabad]

It was quite evident from the developments in Lahore on March 15 that March 16 will be the historic defeat day for the federal government and victory day for those who were wishing independent judiciary and deposed judges back to their official seats. Before the dawn of March 16, the government was compelled by the ground realities to make a decision for the deposed judges which was ought to be taken a long ago. The PPPP always looked interested in the formula "Minus 1" and US/UK were backing it for own interests. The public pressure primarily build month by month by the well determined and united lawyers managed through the active vital help of PML (N) along with other political parties efforts and civil societies remarkable participation to achieve the prime objective without any sit-in in the capital fully sealed with the steel containers like the containers made fort.

I must say here without having any affiliation to any political party but working for Islam and Pakistan as a law professional that the government could be in a better position if the prime minister has made the same public speech before 2009. However, I appreciate the government decision with a view "Dair ayad drust ayad". Here, I salute to Ms. Sherri Rehman for showing a rare thing like "Self respect" among the higher political and bureaucratic circles by tendering her resignation in a very due course of time. I suggest her to accept any other suitable ministry as offered by the prime minister. She has already done good job for her nation and country. I will not discuss here Raza Rabbani as I do not have the facts and figures. I wish a case against General Pervez Musharraf for doing acts against the interest of Pakistan including Lal Masjid massacre. My heartiest congratulations to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muahmmad Chaudhry and other honourable judges.
[The Post]

CLEANING UP JUDICIARY
[Editorial The Frontier Post]

It was so enrapturing seeing Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry returning to the nation's highest seat of justice, where he had stood so indomitably resolved to safeguard the independence of judiciary and the rights of the oppressed and the downtrodden, for which he was made to go through excruciating times and pay a heavy price. But wilted he not; bend he did not. Unshaken, he stood like a solid rock, facing up bravely to the tribulations inflicted on him and living up admirably to the iconic image he has etched out inerasably in the masses' hearts for his independence and courage in dispensing justice to the wronged, the aggrieved and the distressed. And on the very first day, he had a stern word for the Punjab government for failing to comply with the Supreme Court's order for reinstating and regularising the ad hoc lecturers it had removed from service in 2001.

The apex court had ordered, in 2002, the regularisation of all the sacked lecturers, who all had put in about 14 years of service on ad hoc basis. The order still remains unimplemented. He ordered the assistant advocate general of Punjab to seek instructions from the government to withdraw its petitions on Wednesday or get ready for a heavy penalty. More enthralling nonetheless was his exhortation to lawyers to help him purge the judiciary of corruption, asking them to point out incidents of corruption, but based on facts, not hearsays, right from the lower to the higher judiciary, including his own self, and pledging action if found correct. This is enthusing. His intent is admirable; his direction is commendable. But it will be all the more worthwhile if he dons the apparels of a methodical and systematic effort to his laudable intent and focuses his primary attention where it is needed the most: the lower judiciary.

It is this tier of the judiciary where the bulk of the litigant public has its truck in the quest for justice. And this is where most tire down and quit in despondency, disappointment and disillusionment. It is not just public complaints of sleaze, corruption and influence-peddling that abound about this tire. It is its proverbial slowness that too has degraded it enormously in the estimation of the public as a dispenser of justice. Hundreds of inmates are languishing in jails for the inordinate delays in the disposal of cases against them, some statedly having long overstayed the period of imprisonment if convicted and sentenced for the crimes they are accused of. Over the time, the lower courts have accumulated a huge backlog, estimated to be running into hundreds and thousands. And in cases, particularly of civil nature, dying patriarchs leave it to their heirs to pursue their causes. It indeed has become a common joke that it takes generations for civil cases to come to a close, a joke even if not wholly true that doesn't sit well on the name of a functional venerable judiciary.

By every consideration, the lower judiciary stands in an imperative need of a complete overhaul and intense streamlining. The rot at this tire has gone too far. And only a steel-willed reformist can clean it up. That cap fits him perfect. With his demonstrated unbending will and unflinching determination to stand up against heavy odds, he has in him all to undertake this stupendous job. He has the time, too, to carry through this noble job. He has still at least another four years to go in his post of the nation's top judge. So he must step forward intently to undertake this onerous work. Perhaps, it would be worth it if he constitutes a committee of three or four brother judges, with himself as its head, to hammer out a pragmatic reforms plan by drawing on their wealth of scholarship, knowledge and expertise to overhaul the lower judiciary, and then set out vigorously to execute it. That would not only rid it of the blights disfiguring its face so badly presently, but also put speed and punch in its functioning to the gratification of the mass of ordinary citizenry, for whom the lower judiciary is mostly the first and last port of call for justice. And if he is now loved as a brave judge, he will then stand still taller in the people's eyes, and will be remembered for generations as a great reformist who gave them a clean and functional lower judiciary from a messy one that it once was.

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
[Ather Imran Nawaz, Rawalpindi]

I was never more proud of being a Pakistani than I was on March 15. The entire nation stood united on a point of principle. A disciplined movement achieved its just cause led by brave leaders like Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Munir A Malik, Athar Minallah and Tariq Mahmood. Lawyers were willing to sacrifice their livelihoods to fight for the supremacy of the law. There was a commitment to holding a peaceful and non-violent long march, similar to last year's. Nawaz Sharif made many proud by leading from the front and defying all odds to march with his people towards Islamabad, even risking his own life in a fragile security situation and overt threats. There was, as always, unwavering support of Imran Khan and his party for an independent judiciary serving as inspiration for others.

The army chief played his national role with grace and dignity by being a silent facilitator but making sure we do not return to the military follies of the past. The media defied all pressures to uphold the truth. And we found out that we have among us people like Raza Rabbani, Sherry Rehman, Safdar Abbasi, Abdul Hai Gilani, Ejaz Virk and Ather Waheed who can sacrifice their coveted posts but not their principles. It is time for all of us to consolidate and build on this great moment in time to fight the numerous internal and external challenges we face. We have shown that we have the capability -- now is the time to stay united and rebuild this great nation together. [The News]

JUSTICE AT GRASS ROOT LEVEL
[Syed Muzammil Hussain, Chaman Kot (AJK)]

The nation in all its shades of opinion proved its maturity on March 16th when Prime Minister Gilani made historic announcement of restoration of deposed judges. The prime minister has played a very positive role in solving this longstanding issue. On the other side the leaders of the marchers also proved their sincerity to the country and called off their march after P.M Gilani's speech. Congratulations to everyone on this jubilation. The nation launched this movement for a principle i.e independence of judiciary. Restoration of deposed judges was first step and now after achieving this first goal, there are other goals to be achieved in future. Actual justice should be given at grass root levels. Lower judiciary should help people get their rights. Now Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry should go ahead in this direction. People complain of judges of lower and even courts being bribed for getting justice of one's desire. There are other hurdles as well and so on. Justice Chaudhry should think on these lines now. Justice should not be sold. It should be in reach of every one. [The Post]

LET’S GET TO WORK!
[Javed Akhtar, Karachi]

Pakistan has entered a new era, that promises greater judicial independence and political stability. With the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, it is hoped by many that the political parties of Pakistan will set aside their differences and work on the problems facing the common Pakistani. It is now time to fix the economy, make arrangements to end load shedding and ensure the security of our territory against the terrorists, among other things. Also, while we are quick to curse foreign powers for meddling in our affairs, this time, their intervention proved decisive in settling the political crisis. One wonders what could have been had US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband not intervened. Either way, we must be thankful for the resolution of this crisis. We must now hold our politicians accountable for the myriad other issues that have been neglected for the past year, just like we have held them accountable for the judicial crisis. [Daily Times]

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
[Rehman Shukr, Rawalpindi]

March 16 is one of Pakistan's proudest days and I find it hard to express my pride in words. Many individuals who strived for this noble cause consistently for two years deserve our gratitude. The paramount sacrifices made by many lawyers around the nation are noteworthy and had the leadership of Aitzaz Ahsan not been there, this day would have never come. We also deeply owe this success to various political elements, including the PML-N and the Sharif brothers, for their part in this movement. The media also played a highly positive and commendable role in all this and even suffered a lot for its support to the cause. All those who participated and supported the long march have made this county proud. [The News]

LONG LIVE LAWYERS
[M. Ali Kasi, Quetta]

In the struggle of restoration of judiciary/deposed judges, everyone of the contributing factors whether PML(N), JI, TIP, PKMAP, civil Society or lawyers strived hard and sincerely. But it will be unjust if lawyers are treated at par with other forces. One should not forget that these were the lawyers who kept the issue alive in the teeth of strong governments of General Musharraf and now of egoistic Zardari. It was like trying to keep a lit candle from dying in a violent storm, but lawyers through their unflinching determination and relentless struggle proved that they are even much stronger than the most violent storm. Quid-e-Azam - a lawyer gave the gift of Pakistan to the Muslims of Sub-continent while his successive lawyers gave the gift of justice to the people of Pakistan. Long live the lawyers. [The Frontier Post]

INDEPENDENCE OF JUDICIARY
[Iftikhar Ali]

While there is no doubt that Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan has been leading the lawyers’ movement from the front, and he was instrumental in the success of the movement as well. However, he must know well as a scholar and a lawyer that the chief justice of any country must remain distant from the politics of a country in order to ensure transparency, independence and neutrality. The day after the restoration of the chief justice, Barrister Ahsan conducted a news conference where a PPP flag covered the table in front of him. He later announced that he, along with Safdar Abbasi and Naheed Khan, will raise that PPP flag at the residence of the chief justice on March 22.

This indicates the level of politicisation that has taken place. Such actions, while well meaning, will cause problems for the reinstated chief justice and his reputation. Therefore, Aitzaz Ahsan, and indeed all other political parties that played a part in the lawyers’ movement, should refrain from trying to score political points from this situation. They have been struggling for an independent judiciary for almost two years; with the reinstatement, they should allow that independence to the judiciary. [Daily Times]

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
[Ahsan Mirza, Peshawar]

Congratulations to the chief justice and to all those who made this historic moment happen. All this has become possible due to the great courage of the people of Pakistan in general and lawyers, political workers and the media in particular. Though I belong to a simple middle-class family with no political affiliation, I have been receiving and giving congratulations from/to relatives and friends with great fervour and excitement. Similarly, many a friend and relative took active participation in the long march, despite this being the first such action of its kind for us ordinary middle-class people (who are normally very averse to such activities). However, the chief justice's real trial has just started. The ordinary and underprivileged people of Pakistan have pinned high hopes on him.

Finally, the Pakistani nation has once again showed to its detractors that it sure is a great and mature nation. Time and again it does show its true indomitable spirit. We are only let down by our ruling elite which even for petty matters looks to the west for guidance. May this be a turning point for all our country. [The News]

WHITHER PARLIAMENT?
[Tufail Shah, Lahore]

The restoration of the deposed judges is a significant development in the history of Pakistan. The nation is celebrating and honouring the brave judges who refused to bow to a dictator. This is a good omen for democracy and rule of law in Pakistan. Even the power circles that were involved in subverting the judiciary in the past have now come on board and are calling this a victory for Pakistan. A few questions, however, may not be ignored in this euphoria. Should the people come out on the roads and agitate every time they have a demand; what brand of democracy will that be; will such a system have any use for institutions? We have various organs of the state to perform specific tasks. All institutions must be made to work in accordance with the constitution if we are to build on this victory. [Daily Times]

HISTORY IN THE MAKING
[Air-cdre (r) M Khalid Kamal, Islamabad]

I salute the people of Pakistan, the lawyers, civil society, journalists, social workers and political parties for their selfless efforts, determination, courage and prolonged struggle to restore the free, fair and courageous judiciary. I also salute the role of the Pakistan army in this time of crisis because the conditions were ripe for a military takeover. Let's hope and pray that our beloved country will now move smoothly towards prosperity. [The News]

DOGAR’S EXIT
[Bushra Siddiqui, Islamabad]

The unceremonious exit of the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar brought to an end the long and painful chapter of our judicial history. The chapter had recalled the comparatively less painful yet illegal and unconstitutional verdict by Chief Justice Munir in 1954, which was characterised by the doctrine of necessity and gave wrong meaning and misleading directions to the superior judiciary for all times to come. During his 16 month tenure as a controversial chief justice, following the proclamation of emergency by the former president, Mr Dogar acted in total defiance of the orders of the constitutionally valid seven-judge bench of the same court headed by Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and validated the emergency rule. It was the beginning of an era which saw the judiciary in total command and control of the establishment, a new terminology used for the invisible rulers.

He also vacated an order of the court which froze parts of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) allowing Mr Asif Ali Zardari and some others to enjoy its benefits. Abdul Hameed Dogar also paved the way for the election of Mr Asif Zardari as president by deciding against the condition of graduation introduced by General Pervez Musharraf before 2002 polls. The decision was taken to favour Mr Zardari only as he was a non graduate. The scandal of the grant of additional marks to his daughter, ignoring justice and fair-play, was another spot on his already blemished character.

According to the Islamic traditions the ‘departed souls’ are remembered with the spirit of favour and forgiveness but Mr Dogar’s deeds would not be forgotten as these caused a severe jolt to the already dilapidated structure of our judiciary. The nation hopes that the present and the successive judiciary will face the adversaries with courage and in accordance with the call of its conscience and wipe out the dust and dirt it has gathered around over the years. [Dawn]

RESTORATION
[Amjad Khan Tanoli, Mansehra]

Restoration -- what next?People's expectations have been raised tremendously after the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. They are now expecting change at the grassroots-level in our judiciary -- and it is about time that this happened. I would also request the lawyers, civil society members and the media not to rest till the endemic corruption, nepotism and favouritism which are all now hallmarks of our judicial system are eradicated. [The News]

MUSHARRAF ON ECL
[Munawar Hussain]

This is with reference to the news (March 20) that advocate Tariq Hussan in Islamabad, has submitted a petition in the Supreme Court calling for former president Gen Pervez Musharraf’s name to be placed on Exit Control List (ECL). In his petition the lawyer has appealed to prevent Gen Pervez Musharraf from traveling outside the country. According to him, the former army chief had been advised by aides that he should leave the country as Lal Masjid operation case could be heard now following the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Gen Pervez Musharraf should be tried for the following charges.

1)Missing persons
2) Drone attacks
3) Remarks against ex-servicemen
4) Power shortage
5) Use of camp office accommodation after the entitled period.

Hence Ex-President Pervez Musharraf’s name should remain on ECL till such time he faces all the aforementioned charges. [Dawn]

RESTORATION
[Naila Siddiqui, Karachi]

Congratulations to the nation and a hearty salute to the lawyers, civil society, the media, political workers and especially those who have laid their lives during the struggle to restore our independent judiciary. I can now say for sure that this is a new Pakistan, that Pakistanis are an alive nation and they know about their fundamental rights. Long live Pakistan. [The News]

CREDIT GOES TO ALL
[F Z Khan, Islamabad]

The deposed judges restoration is a big big news. The credit goes to the great struggle by the lawyers, the political parties especially Imran Khan’s Tehrik-e-Insaf, Qazi’s JI and Nawaz’s PML, and above all the civil society that remained at the lawyers’ back. The credit also goes to Prime Minister Gillani for his though late but saner decision despite facing lot of pressure from Zardari and his cronies. Gillani could muster courage only because of the timely help by COAS Gen Kayani who burnt the midnight oil and got convinced the man occupying presidential palace – to look beyond his ego and do not fall prey to the Punjab Governor and Rehman Malik.

Had there been Bush in the White House, Justice Iftikhar’s restoration would not have been materialized. The credit must be given to the Obama administration’s non vicious approach towards resolving internal and external conflicts around the world. The role of docile Clinton’s educated wife, Hillary, is also laudable. Nation’s backing is not for Iftikhar Chaudhry but for the rule of law and justice, which they so need in this time of bigotry and distortion. [Pakistan Observer]

UNSUNG HEROES
[Nasar Ahmed, Lahore]

The lawyers' movement is successful. The deposed judges have been restored and the nation is
jubilant. But in this hour of joy and happiness we shall not forget two great former judges of the Lahore High Court. Both of them I respect from the bottom of my heart and recognise them probably as the best judges I have appeared before. I am talking of Justice Jawad S Khawaja who resigned on March 17, 2007, the day when the Punjab police attacked the Lahore High Court. The second judge is Justice Sair Ali who refused to take oath under the PCO and has since retired. Both of these persons were great lawyers and brilliant judges. I request the restored chief justice to elevate the two persons to the Supreme Court because he needs this kind of people in the apex court. [The News]

VICTORY OF DEMOCRACY
[Bilal Shahid, Rawalpindi]

The sun of 16th March dawned with full brightness and brought happiness on the faces of the terror ridden citizens of Pakistan. The nation was passing through an agony of mental torture and physical trauma due to the rivalry of the political parties, pressure from the world and the activities of the terrorists. The economic downturn was adding to the miseries of millions of people of Pakistan and fear of unknown had gripped the country. Our enemies were triumphant on our mismanagement and were labeling us as a failed state which is not capable of solving its problems. They were predicting very bleak future and even talking about redrawing the borders of Pakistan. The nation rose to the occasion, refused to accept the illegal decisions and walked with a firm commitment to resolve the issues once for all.

The showdown was a fearsome and every citizen of Pakistan around the world was worried and praying for some miracle and Alhamdoo Lillah, by the grace of Almighty Allah, the miracle did happened in this blessed month of Rabi-ul-Awal. The clash has been averted, just demands have been accepted and the Prime Minister who was considered to be the weakest became the stalwart and most courageous man on the earth. It’s not a matter of winning or loosing, victory or defeat, accepting or rejecting but it’s a moment of pride for every one from President of Pakistan to a street worker. Today we broke the myth of arrogance and dictatorship today is the victory of democracy, today is the day of joy ness, today is a new beginning and today is the day of new hopes and new challenges.

Now the onus lies on all the political parties and the government to shed away their petty differences, sit in joint session of the parliament and solve all the issues. The session must continue uninterrupted till the time all the matters including FATA and Swat are not tackled. We are passing through a very turbulent period, economy has plunged, IMF loans are pilling up, stock market is down and people are running from pillar to post for a peace of bread. We need to work, work and work tirelessly to save this sinking ship. We can do it because we have the capability and capacity to do it. The history is witnessed that once we decided our course of action than no power on earth could stop us. [Pakistan Observer]

AND WHAT NOW, GENTLEMEN?
[R Matif, London]

John F Kennedy once observed that success has a thousand fathers. It will not be surprising that there would be many who will claim the credit for bringing the government, kicking and screaming, to honour its pledge. Before anyone indulges in triumphant gloating or mocking those who had to concede they should recall some recent history which reminds us that, apart from the lawyers' movement, there are no clear winners in this affair. The only reward the conclusion of this surreal episode offers others is redemption.

The main demand of the lawyers' movement was implementation of some semblance of the principle of rule of law, with the restoration of the dismissed justices by a dictator, the totem of their civil and civilised movement. History may well remember this as Pakistan's 'black-coat' revolution. Rather than turning into politicians, the best the lawyers could do now is to return to making sure that they play a vigorous role in making sure that justice is delivered to ordinary Pakistanis. The other main protagonists, the politicians, the army and the judiciary may be well advised to grasp this chance of redemption and not revert back to type. It offers redemption for Nawaz Sharif's party, because it may help dilute the memory of the infamous attack on the Supreme Court by hooligans last time they were in charge of the country. In the heat of jubilation it is also important that, for the common good, Mr Sharif and other politicians, who supported the lawyers' movement, refrain from overplaying their hand.

For the president and his party, it should serve as a humbling episode. They had the opportunity to do this, earlier, and claim the glory and moral high ground, but they dithered and committed a political blunder by misjudging the mood of their nation. The president also refused to learn the lesson from his predecessor's mistake about the forever altered realities of modern communication (which it appears the principled, former, information minister tried to make him aware of, albeit in vain). Although the government's partial redemption lies in belatedly resolving this crisis, they can further redeem themselves. The president and particularly the prime minister, who has played an astute hand and appears a stabilising influence, can reclaim lost political ground by implementing other lasting reforms to cement democracy in Pakistan: supremacy of parliament and the 'Magna Carta for Pakistan', both part of the PPP manifesto.

It offers redemption for the army whose last commander-in-chief was responsible for treating the chief justice, and by extension the institution of judiciary, in a shabby manner which sowed the seed of this whole disastrous episode. By appearing restraint publicly and allowing the political process to play out, they may help redeem this institution whose direct interference in the political process incrementally weakens this institution and causes more problems than it solves.

It offers redemption to the judiciary, whose justices must now wean off the maxim of 'necessitas facit licitum quod alias non est licitum'. The expediency of the doctrine of necessity, an addiction of the distant and recent members of the Pakistani judiciary, has been the cause of a multitude of problems for its society. If the judiciary is tested the next time, they may wish to follow the example of the lawyers' movement and Justice Saeed-ud-Zaman Siddiqui rather than Justices Mohammad Munir or Anwar-ul-Haque. To all the major players in Pakistani politics, this episode offers a clean slate and an opportunity to turn a leaf for the better. For the sake of 160 million, largely impoverished souls, they better not falter. [The News]

WISDOM PREVAILED
[Marya Mufti, Rawalpindi]

The restoration of CJ has provided new grounds for thinking. It has not only restored the people’s confidence in democracy. The role of army remained highly positive throughout the restoration movement. Under Kayani the army fulfilled its promise of not meddling in political affairs. The western media in collaboration with Indian think-tanks has been propagating that the Pakistan Army was eager to take advantage of the worsening law and order situation. But all their hopes went futile and Gen Kayani remained determined, careful and wise. Now the storm has calmed down. The long march has become a symbol of success and achievement. Things are proceeding towards a natural settlement. The people of Pakistan should now devote and dedicate all their concentration to the betterment of the motherland. The present situation has given birth to so many expectations from the Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. He will have to take care of the nation who thinks that he has a solution to all its social, political and economic problems including rapidly hiking prices of every day commodities, unemployment, worsening law and order situation and the security threats along the borders. People are taking him as their savior.

It would be surely a very tough and onerous task for him to come up to their expectations but he would be successful by the grace of God because he has a very deep rooted support from the people of Pakistan. The Pakistanis are an optimistic nation, always uninfluenced by the winds going against them. They have a will and a strong determination to overcome all the hurdles in their way. And the more encouraging fact is that now they are backed up by an army which has a courage and fortitude to fight at so many fronts at the same time and which is always ready to safeguard and shelter the ongoing democratic process in the country. [Pakistan Observer]

AFTER THE RESTORATION
[Muhammad Imran, Lahore]

After the reinstatement of the chief justice of Pakistan, we now need to work for a free and fair election commission. The mass public participation in the events of March 14 and 15 reflects the fact that the people of Pakistan want to establish an independent judiciary. Now they should work for the freedom and independence of the Election Commission of Pakistan. [The News]

CONGRATULATIONS!
[Maryam Ibrahim, Mirpur]

I congratulate Pakistani nation on the success of Long March and restoration of CJP and other noble judges. Present, past leaders, every lawyer who actively sacrificed in the lawyer movement and Long March deserve high admiration. They made great history. Nation also owes gratitude to Gen Kayani of his great patriotic and constitutional role. It is important to mention the most condemnable purified role of Musharrraf, MQM, PML-Q, JUI (F) ANP,PPP-Zardari in leaving no stone unturned to quell and frustrate the lawyers movement and Long March.

The civil society, all political parties other than above, opinion leaders, media specially Geo, silent contributors also deserve profuse thanks. I would certainly mention Imran Khan, Qazi Hussein, Palejo, Mumtaz Bhutto, leaders of all provinces leaders and who consistently supported the movement. Mr Nawaz Sharif deserves more than special whose first step out of his residence had already made long march a great success when the ruthless PPP government had put Aitzaz in house arrest and did not let Kurd leave Quetta. Now they shamelessly claim credit for honouring BB Shaheed will whose murders they know but did not catch. [Pakistan Observer]

AFTER THE RESTORATION
[M S Hasan, Karachi]

Now that Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry stands reinstated, citizens of the country, across the board, want Pakistan to move forward to stability, development and progress. The citizens do not care who runs provincial governments as long as the majority party or coalition is at the helm of affairs as per the people's mandate in the respective centres of governance. What the citizens of Pakistan now want is: (1) Effective governance (2) Elimination of terrorism and extremism (3) Stimulation of economy and (4) Strengthening of democratic institutions. Period. [The News]

DEFINING MOMENT
[Yasir Ali Khan, Hazro]

There are defining moments in the life of every nation. Pakistan can rightly claim that March 16, 2009 restoration of Ifthikar Chaudhary as Chief Justice was just such a moment in its 61-year history. In six decades, Pakistanis have been used more to judges buckling under military rulers than to the likes of Mr Chaudhary. Exactly two years ago, he set a new tone by refusing to bow to pressure from the then President and Army Chief, Pervez Musharraf, to quit office. For this single act of defiance, he was removed. His subsequent reinstatement by the Supreme Court, and his forcible removal from office by General Musharraf in the November 3, 2007 emergency only raised his standing.

It is unfortunate that under the leadership of President Zardari, the Pakistan People’s Party, was unable to read the pulse of the people on this issue. After his party was voted to power, Mr Zardari tried to nimble-foot his way out of restoring Mr. Chaudhary, succeeding for nearly a year. The government was forced into relenting on the issue when the opposition Pakistan Muslim League, led by Nawaz Sharif, joined a persistent lawyers’ struggle and launched a mass rally towards the Capital.

Mr Sharif has emerged as the other hero of this saga. The Supreme Court’s disqualification order against him and his brother Shahbaz will surely be revoked soon. The same goes for Governor’s rule in Punjab province. As for the PPP, it will take time to recover from this political setback, which has isolated Mr Zardari within the party. There are questions about his future as President, especially as he has looked quite the lame duck in the last few days while Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani spearheaded initiatives to defuse the crisis. Before raising a toast to people’s power, the role of the Pakistan Army and the United States, in guiding the two political forces away from an all-out confrontation is laudable. [Pakistan Observer]

OUR RULERS AND US
[Shabbir Ahmad, Islamabad]

M S Hasan, in his letter titled "After the restoration" (March 19) has said that "the citizens do not care who runs provincial governments as long as the majority party or coalition is at the helm of affairs" -- I disagree. The people do care who runs the government and in what manner. They also don't like dictatorial tactics like imposition of governor's rule and this whole argument that ordinary people don't care too much about the government is a fallacy. People don't like manipulative rulers who are prepared to take the country to the brink of chaos for personal or political gains. [The News]

LIGHT OF HOPE
[Sarah Salahuddin, Karachi]

Through the column of your esteemed newspaper I would like to share my happiest feelings with the whole country on the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudari. It is a historical moment for the whole nation and now we can see a bright light of hope. Everybody in the country appreciate the struggle of lawyers, political workers and civil society and pray for the best future of Pakistan in the light of justice. It is just marvellous. [Pakistan Observer]

MY LONG MARCH
[Asim Aijaz, Lahore]

On March 14 after watching hours and hours of television I had told my father that the long march would fizzle out -- not least because of the massive police presence and because ordinary people weren't just bothered enough to go out and protest. Just in case, however, I had sms-ed all my friends to at least join me to the High Court but only one of them said he would come. However, the next morning he too dropped out. But I decided there and then that I had to go -- even if it were just by myself.

I went to a lawyer friend's home where a lot of young people, including several young women, all in their 20s and from well-off backgrounds, had assembled. They were all prepared to take part in the rally and had come prepared with a 'rally toolkit' which consisted of a bottle of water, a towel and some salt (to deal with the tear gas). We went towards the High Court building, using McLeod Road, but were stopped by the police posted there. The lawyers among us at that point in time started raising slogans and with each passing minute they only got louder. My lawyer friend, who was doing much of the protesting, was arrested and taken away to a police van nearby.

Clearly without numbers we wouldn't be able to confront the police and there was no point in being arrested at the start of the day -- so we decided to retreat. The next four hours saw intense shelling at GPO chowk and with most of us doing what we could to escape the shelling. Eventually, it was the JI which came to our aid when hundreds of their supporters came on the road, armed with bamboo sticks and continuously throwing stones at the police. Eventually it was the police which retreated and that was also around the time that word came in that Nawaz Sharif was on his way along with thousands of his supporters after breaking all the police barricades. Soon after much of The Mall became a flood of people, especially supporters of the PML-N, the PTI and the JI, and lawyers and members of civil society. And we all know what happened after that. May God bless us and our country! [The News]

LONG MARCH
[Khair N Baloch, Quetta]

Mr Aitzaz Hasan has conveniently forgotten messieurs Kurd, Munir Malik, Justice Tariq, other renowned leaders who steered the movement and those associated in the movement belonging to other political parties or groups. He took pains to raise PPP slogans under its banner and never bothered to take along any other party member, even from lawyers. His strategy is his own affair but it tarnished his image in lawyers other than having affiliation with PPP. Let him not forget PPP-Zardari had detained him and did not let Mr Kurd leave Quetta.

Had it not been Nawaz Sharif who risked his life,the long march could have resulted in short march. He should not throw all credit of the success of lawyers movement in the basket of Zardari-PPP which had only trampled constitution and BB sahiba. Aitzaz forgot that Zardari-PPP sits in despotic throne with the bloodbaths of May, October, 2007-8. Let Governor Raj in Punjab go and PPP Chairman stop manipulating for the formations of his party rule in Punjab. [Pakistan Observer]

POWER OF THE PEOPLE
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]

Some television channels and people in the print media have been using the phrase 'Allah, America and the army' to describe the forces of change which brought a resolution to the judges' restoration issue. To begin with, using God's name in such a manner is not really in very good taste at all. Secondly our army and the American government played a very positive role to defuse the situation but having said that, neither brought about this revolutionary change. That credit goes to the power of the people. [The News]

RELIVING TRADITION
[Dr. Ghayur Ayub, London]

Long live president Zardari for reliving the tradition of using containers to block roads. The idea was introduced by MQM in Karachi to stop crowds reaching Chauhdry Iftikhar on May 12, 2007. That was the time when a “militarised democracy” was spearheaded by an army chief as the president. The same action is repeated, this time countrywide, on the instruction of a civilian president. He happened to be the spouse of a great democracy lover and a leader of a party which always fought for the democratic rights of the people. Today, his advisor Rehman Malik has turned this country into the land of the containers whose owners have been told to seal their lips and digest their losses.

Apart from financial losses to the owners and an equal loss to already bleeding economy of Pakistan; the human misery shown on the TV channels was enormous. Seeing the faces of those who could not move their patients or dead relatives because of road blocks was enough to bring tears in the eyes of even the most insensitive human. What should we call the new image of democratic Pakistan where containers are diverted from business to crush basic human rights? [The Post]

HAPPY MOMENTS
[Zohra Hussein, Hyderabad]

Nation is so happy on CJP reassuming his position despite obstructionists who tried every possible trick to thwart it. May Allah guide him to execute justice and relieve people from evildoers. Amin! However, I would request CJP to punish corrupt in civil, military, business, trading, stock market, commodity, estate development, satabaz, manipulators, looters in industry, agriculture, education, health and all sectors. In this year alone around 100 trillion may have been devoured, mishandled in all sections as above especially electricity, petrol, gas, CNG, fertilizers, import, exports of every product including food grains, etc .It may be probed and culprits punished. They get away by their influence, power of money, NRO, NAB etc.

Please put stop to lavish, gold and glitter marriages of late evenings running into late night .It is only fashion display occasion accompanied by songs and dances taking hours to finish in style of Indian films putting relations, guests to unnecessary strain and stress. I may say that one percent corrupt, illegally rich or expatriates make life of 99 percent miserable who perforce follow it as social norm. [Pakistan Observer]

BIRTH OF A NEW PAKISTAN
[Anjum James Paul, Faisalabad]

Announcement by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to restore Mr. Iftikhar Chauhdry as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan from March 21 after the retirement of present CJ Mr. Dogar is a birth of new Pakistan. This will bring a new culture of justice in Pakistan. The theory of necessity in the judiciary must be buried now forever for the existence ofPakistan. I congratulate the government of Pakistan, lawyers, civil society and most of the political parties which have played their role for an independent judiciary. Late Benazir Bhutto will be happy with decision in heaven. Let us all be united for this sacred land. Pakistan must be first. There should by loyalty to Pakistan. [The Frontier Post]

EXPECTING THE IMPOSSIBLE?
[R Matif, London]

The restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan appears to have galvanised large sections of society. The burden of expectation also appears to be reaching a crescendo, so much so that even your editorial on March 26 (Back on the bench) seems to be getting carried away. Perhaps it is time for a reality check. For example, your editorial throws the following challenge to the CJ: "that he must be able to demonstrate that he is capable of setting up a system that can meet the widespread demand for efficient justice". Of course this is not the remit of the CJ. The primary function of any court of law is to adjudicate legal disputes in accordance with the rule of law. The provision of justice is the job of the government. The dispensation of justice is the job of the judges. Expecting the courts to act as a ministry or a city council will be akin to expecting your dentist to perform neurosurgery or maulvi to dispense equitable justice.

Justice Chaudhry has a hard enough job on his hands in performing the functions of a position to which he is now restored. He has the unenviable task as the final arbiter of interpreting the 1973 constitution of Pakistan, which has been violated, maligned and treated as a personal property of two dictators. It is the constitution that enshrines the rights of an individual to be free and empowers judges to protect these rights. It is the restoration of this document that the politicians, society and the media should now concentrate upon. Demanding the CJ to sort out the whole judicial system and the myriad of other political and social problems, as the clamour in opinion columns seems to be, is setting him up for a fall. The CJ is a capable person, evidently, but it is doubtful if he is a miracle worker. [The News]

Issue of the month: Strengthening the establishment PPP style

SLOW LEARNERS
[Editorial The News]

'Slow learner' is a term used by educationalists to describe students who have difficulty in learning and assimilating new material. A slow learner is characterised by having normal physical dexterity and an adequate memory; but the rate at which they learn is 4/5 to 9/10 that of the normal rate. Abstract thinking is difficult for a slow learner and their attention span is short. Their self-expression is awkward and self-esteem is low (often compensated for by an inflated sense of their own importance coupled with an almost complete lack of awareness of any deficit they may have.) The slow learner will typically repeat the same mistakes over and over again, no matter that they have said that they have learned and understood - and make earnest and apparently honest promises not to repeat the mistake again. When confronted with the failure to keep their promises or not to repeat whatever it was they had promised not to repeat, their default position is 'denial'. It is not difficult to lay this template across the PPP in its current incarnation and find an almost exact match. Indeed, it is not difficult to lay it across all of our political parties when one considers their history - but the PPP is currently leader of the pack in the slow-learning race.

Denial is an interesting state, especially if it is understood in the context of the Kübler-Ross model which describes five discrete stages through which people go when they are preparing to deal with grief or tragedy, collectively known as the Five Stages of Grief – Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. There is an undeniable surfeit of grief lying about on the political landscape, most of it experienced by the common man. There is no shortage of denial either – principally denial by any practicing politician that the current shambles is in any way their fault; it is all the fault of that chap standing over there. Anger – yes, plenty of that as well. And now the Bargaining phase – understood in political terminology as 'horse-trading'. It is characterised by a mindset that says…"I'll do anything if (insert political goal of your choice)" – and is often used to hold uncomfortable realities at bay.

The debacle of Section 144 and governor's rule in Punjab followed by the restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry aggregate to a large unlearned lesson for the PPP, and very specifically for its co-chairman A.A Zardari and the sycophants who advise him. The lesson he has yet to internalise is that autocrats tend to have a short shelf-life and are almost always eventually overthrown by popular revolt; either through political process or by violent means. Violent revolution is just not our 'style' – we are not by nature a revolutionary nation and even our coups have been relatively bloodless. We are however a nation that has begun to find its popular voice, and have learned that peaceful protest can produce popular results. Woe-betide those who cling to power by horse-trading their way towards it, because the popular voice is above the popular legs on the end of which are the popular feet and as we saw last Sunday those doing the marching these days seem to be on a learning curve that far outstrips those that would govern them. Fast learners, in fact…fast walkers, too.

WHAT DID BENAZIR WANT?
[Fatima Darakhshan, Islamabad]

This is apropos of the news item, “BB wasn’t committed to reinstating Iftikhar, says Qaim” (March 4). The statement aims at twisting the facts. The question is, if Ms Bhutto was not committed to reinstating the deposed chief justice, why did she take out a rally to his residence and utter the words: “Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry is our chief justice.” The fact is that the PPP leadership has its own style of politics. It was bent upon installing its own government in Punjab from day one, which was evident from the statements of its leaders, including Governor Salman Taseer, appearing in the press from time to time during the last one year. Imposition of the governor’s rule was part of the game. It is an irrefutable fact that the PML(N) is a majority party in the Punjab Assembly, and the governor should have asked the party to nominate some other member to replace Shahbaz Sharif as leader of the house.

Imposition of the governor’s rule when the house was already in session, locking of the assembly premises to punish the entire house in the post-disqualification situation, promulgation of presidential ordinances on the eve of the National Assembly session are points that go against democracy. It appears as if Pervez Musharraf is still in power, flouting all norms of democracy and the Constitution. [Dawn]

STILL A MUSHARRAF IN POWER
[Farzand Ali Khan, Mandi Bahauddin]

Without sounding pessimistic, I am of the view that Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry will never be restored and we are to live with the present political morass for quite some time. I say this because all the major power wielders have a lot to lose in his restoration. For instance, President Zardari fears that the chief justice would revoke the NRO which has not only washed all his past sins but has also catapulted him to the highest office of the country. The army chief may be apprehensive that if Justice Chaudhry is restored he would re-open the missing persons’ cases and this may embarrass him since he headed the ISI which is presumably involved in the detentions. The Americans share the same apprehension as most of the missing persons presumably were handed over to them by our intelligence agencies. The last power wielder — the hapless Pakistani nation – is fighting its battle of survival as the skyrocketing prices of food and energy have forced them into a quiet submission. All in all, it seems that there is still a Musharraf in power. [The News]

SANITY PREVAILS
[Dr Ali Akbar Dhakan, Karachi]

One need not highlight the danger of stubbornness and inflexibility from a circle of courtiers encircled around him who will not provide a good source of advices but only misguidance, insanity and ill advices to serve their own vested interests. The same thing happened with Zardari and at last they became a source for his besiege and degradation. At last sanity prevailed and a good decision for the restoration of the Chief Justice of Pakistan was taken in the early hours of March 16, 2009 under the sane and sincere efforts of Yousuf Raza Gilani, the able and sober Prime Minister of Pakistan belonging to the PPP, the biggest political party and force of the country. The credit also goes to all lawyers, particularly Ali Ahmed Kurd, Aitizaz Ahsan and political leaders like Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Imran Khan, Ghous Ali Shah and others who wisely succeeded to get the chief justice of Pakistan restored.

Now the whole nation has taken a sigh of relief and now authorities at the helm of affairs should run the country with utmost care and vigilance so that such incidents do not reoccur in the future.
[The Post]

PEOPLE’S VOICE
[Anwar Jalal, Peshawar]

There are many lessons for the political leaders in the recent successful Long March. One big lesson is that it is the power of people which is important. In democracy. Anyone, either government or persons in political authority, who arrogantly and unfairly bypass people and go against their wishes will face discomfiture and disgrace. [Pakistan Observer]

NO LATERAL ENTRANTS, PLEASE
[Dr Nilofar Nadeem, Islamabad]

The PPP claims to be the champion of democracy in Pakistan. If it wishes to survive, it's high time the party learned a lesson or two. It cannot survive as a monarchy. It must pave way for elections within the party. It must honour the saner elements within the party like Aitzaz Ahsan, Raza Rabbani, Enver Baig and Sherry Rehman. There should be no lateral entrants like Rehman Malik and Farooq Naek, who are responsible for the current fiasco. My sincere wish is that better sense should prevail. Long live democracy. [The News]

UNDEMOCRATIC ATTITUDE
[Tariq N Syed, Rawalpindi]

The huge success of the long march forced the president into restoring the judges. However, both he and the Punjab governor seem to be involving themselves in actions unbecoming of their constitutional positions. Both the president and the governor need to stop acting like PPP jiyalas and act in an impartial and democratic manner — above party politics. [Pakistan Observer]

SLAP ON THE FACE OF OPPORTUNISTS
[Mahabat Khan Bangash, Peshawar]

Ultimately the efforts of the lawyers community, the civil society and Sharif brothers proved a success in reinstating the deposed Judges. The Govt’s decision has exposed those time seekers, who apparently were the negotiators between the Govt. and the protesting forces, but insincere in their intentions. Therefore, this nation should identify these black sheep like Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Asfandyar Wali, who have been playing juggleries with this nation since Musharraf era, and damaged this country to great extent. At this juncture we must not forget the efforts of Imran Khan and Jamat-e-Islami who sacrificed their last elections. Credit also goes to the COAS who played an important role in defusing the situation. [The Frontier Post]

TAKING CREDIT FOR CJ'S RESTORATION
[Eilaf Faizi, Karachi]

The PPP government has tried its best to claim credit for the restoration of the judges -- but it should know that the people of Pakistan are not fools. If the president had the wisdom and foresight to agree to the restoration well before the call for the long march was given, the claim that the PPP was behind the restoration would have some credibility. Obviously, the only reason the president agreed to this was because he had run out of options -- and this was forced on him by the long march. [The News]

STRUGGLE FOR JUDICIARY
[Shumaila Khan, Karachi]

The struggle for an independent judiciary started two years before and has come to an end or may be the real struggle is now started. People have many hopes from Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry. However, what bothers me is that on the one hand the government accepted qazi courts in Swat and Malakand and on the other it has issued a notification for the restoration of the deposed judges. Both the decisions seem to contradict one another. The correct way is to follow the constitution and reinforce the institution of the judiciary. What is going on? Why this dichotomy? Will the government kindly explain? [Pakistan Observer]

UNABATED LIES
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]

Do you know what took so long for PM's speech to emerge? Telling the truth does not take so long, but for telling a lie one has to cross check with the lies already told. It would not do to contradict your own lies, bad for one's credibility. - We have fulfilled the promise of Benazir Bhutto. While it is well known that after the deal she had told her party workers, Iftikhar Chaudry is not to be touched with a barge pole. I refer to what Shehla Raza had revealed only two days ago about what BB had said in a Party meeting against Iftikhar Chaudry. Some one is lying for sure. President Zardari had promised the restoration of the deposed judges and now he has done it. But I still remember him saying - I cannot do it, as it will destabilize my Sindh's government. Some one is lying for sure. - Government was not forced by any other quarter than the lawyers and the political parties, says the new minister for Information.

Pray, what were the phone calls by the American officials? The Americans do not believe in friendly persuasion. And what about Gen Kayani's visits to the PM, was that also a friendly persuasion? Minister saheb, please cross check before telling a lie.- - Judges restoration is in line with PPP's policy, says Qasim Zia. Then under which policy PPP opposed the restoration of judges by tooth and nail, since December 2007. Talk about 'AD' (after Deal) and not 'BC' (before Christ). One expected a hockey player to be more honest, don't sports teach us to be honest, or is that only in 'Eaton' and 'Harrow'. - Wattoo says PPP believes in politics of reconciliation. Could PPP find no one else to send to Punjab for this purpose other than- Taseer & Wattoo. There should be a constitutional limit to the number of lies one should have to stomach in a day. [The Frontier Post]

WHY DON'T THEY LEARN?
[Ahmad R Shahid, York, UK]

One had hoped that after the restoration of Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, President Zardari and the Punjab governor would act with some sanity and wisdom. They would promptly lift governor's rule and invite the largest party in the Punjab Assembly -- the PML-N -- to form a government. Regrettably, the governor seems to be acting more loyal than the king and is still going on and on that the PPP will form the government in Punjab. Do the president and the governor want another long march and display of people's power? [The News]

TO SINCERE LEADERS, WORKERS
[Anwar Jalal, Peshawar]

Among the multi dimensional lessons of the long march the one for the PPP sincere leaders and workers is that defending a stance against justice , principles and aspirations of the general public is not only prickly and bothersome task but also cause a lot of derision .As sincere workers of a democratic party , which has brilliant and praise worthy record of sacrifices for democratic principles, they should follow the voice of their conscious instead of slavishly following the dictates of one man PPP , being a main democratic party of Pakistan , needs to be fully existed and active with its well reputed secular and democratic politics in the larger interests of Pakistan .

However here it needs to remembered that democratic parties can hardly survive if they are run by egoistic and arrogant Junta of undemocratic mentality..Under the current scenario PPP, the party of legendary Bhuttos, is in crises mainly due to the behavior and policies of those few haughty and autocratic minded persons who have hijacked the party..In such situation is not it the duty of its sincere leaders and workers to rise to the occasion and play their role for saving this party of the Bhuttos’ ? [Pakistan Observer]

WHAT NEXT?
[A K Simnani, Islamabad]

The reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry should help clip the wings of the president. It should enable the PPP to choose a responsible leadership in order to become a party that can regain credibility with its immediate constituency which elected it to power in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto's assassination, and with the broader national constituency which wants a government that can begin to bring the country out of endemic chaos and an all-enveloping sense of hopelessness.

We have seen people's power before. But it has never led to sustainable political and economic processes that answer to popular aspirations for movement over a broad front towards inclusive development and stability. The Quaid led a movement that realised a dream but departed before it could be translated into concrete benefits for the masses who might have preserved his legacy. Ayub, in retrospect, appeared to provide a glimmer of hope, but flattered only to deceive, and actually sowed the seeds of a bitter harvest. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto epitomised the tragedy of Pakistan -- both the promise and the betrayal -- and opened the way to governance by military and religious mountebanks. From promise to betrayal to tragedy and, finally, to the theatre of the absurd has been the story of Pakistan with all its attendant iniquity and humiliation, and loss of faith and hope. Are we about to reverse course?

The current conspiracy of elites both within and beyond the country will remain an entrenched impediment that can absorb any number of periodic popular outbursts as long as they do not translate into coherent and sustained programmes for change that are steadily pushed and implemented in the face of internal and external challenges. Does this require a charismatic leader? Not really. However, a leadership in terms of organising a whole range of empowering services emanating from myriad multi-level consultative processes can have truly charismatic outcomes. Such leadership may be initiated by an individual or a party. But it can only be sustained by a popular movement that conveys a set of essential messages and performs in accordance with them. [The News]

IN-LAWS AND OUTLAWS
[Bashir Hussain Azad, Chitral]

This is with reference to the statement of Sanam Bhutto published in different national newspapers, stating that the in-laws of President Asif Ali Zardari have no grievances, whatsoever, against the President. It is in fact, an eye opener for all. According to media reports 2000 out laws have been freed from prisons during 12 months of PPP Government. The Government has ordered all the courts to free killers, terrorists, dacoits and all those sentenced by the lower courts. However the policy for “ in-laws” is very different. Courts in Sindh have been clearly directed to come heavily on Mumtaz Bhutto, Ghinva Bhutto and others. In near future, in-laws will be declared outlaws and outlaws will be declared comrades. This is what Sanam Bhutto has in sight and she is sensible enough to sense the threat. [Pakistan Observer]

BEING WISE AFTER THE EVENT?
[Syed Asif Iqbal, Peshawar]

The judiciary has been restored at last but I wonder why the PPP is taking the credit. They did it because they had no other option and they should stop saying that they have fulfilled Benazir Bhutto's promise. If they were so much concerned, they should have restored them right after taking the charge of the government. [The News]

BOWING BEFORE LAW
[Shahbano Alam, Scotland]

I congratulate my nation on 23 rd March .Let 16th March also proves a historic day for fulfilling the goals of Pakistan which hopefully restored honourable judges will Insha Allah ensure. The fact that their arrest was struck off by an executive order on 18-2-08 and by another on 16-3-09 (after 13 months) by same prime minister proves gross constitutional violation by Zardari-PPP costing nation probably a loss of billion of dollars to economy by incompetence, misgovernance and recent bringing county to halt to obstruct in vainly the Long March.

It is also difficult to believe his sermons in farewell speech to most controversial retired CJP that it is time to look forward and build on what has already been achieved, it is time to forget the past and it is time to move on. He would always bow to the judges, regardless of whether he was the president or an ordinary citizen.My lords, you have seen me appearing and bowing before you in courts. Today, as I stand here as the President of Pakistan, I once again bow before the majesty of your lordships. I would request the honourable CJP and restored judges to take urgent suo motu notice to resolve constitutional anomalies. Even watching Prime Minister yesterday offering olive branch to Nawaz Sharif on behalf of President negates constitutional supremacy. [Pakistan Observer]

JINNAH AND MOB POLITICS
[Shahid Mela, Lahore]

This is with reference to Farahnaz Ispahani's article "Jinnah and mob politics" on March 17 where she tried to defend the president. I am afraid much of what the writer has said is logically incorrect. A time comes when one needs to do the right thing -- which is precisely what Sherry Rehman did -- regardless of one's affiliations and/or connections to an organisation. The restoration of judges was a simple matter. The people of this country have shown that they are a nation. It would be good if people were loyal to one's country instead of being loyal to one individual. And I am quite sure that I am not alone is expressing these sentiments. Those who defend the president and simultaneously try to take credit for restoring the judges are insulting the intelligence of the nation. They should have the moral courage to accept the facts. [The News]

CHANGE OF HEART
[Rashid Maqsood, Lahore]

With reference to various interviews and letters after the restoration of the chief justice, a number of politicians and leaders have changed their stance and are now saying that they were never against the restoration. This is surprising to say the least because it seems that these people clearly think that people are fools and have forgotten their previous stand on the issue. What the TV channels need to do is to show their previous statements made on record. [Pakistan Observer]

MEDIA AND MASSES
[Rizwan Akhtar, Nottinghamshire, UK]

CJP's restoration is the advent of a new era in Pakistan but we as a nation have to be wary of the fact that the present government only capitalised on the genuine pressure of the masses. Who knows what other plans the PPP's troika of Zardari, Rahman and Naek have. Musharraf's thoughts are still present in the echelons of power. In times to come the media and the masses will have to play the role of a conscientious watchdog for the PPP governments. [The Frontier Post]

JUST SAY SORRY
[Rehana Rahman, Rawalpindi]

Can anyone responsible for the crises the country passed through these last few days answer the following questions please? Many respected members of the PPP like Nabeel Gabol and Babar Awan came on TV and kept telling viewers that their party’s leadership had already made up its mind well before the long march. If that is the case, then why was the whole drama staged at all? Why was so much money spent on the security and police which were swung into full gear to thwart the marchers? Why was the situation allowed to get to a point where the economy was being threatened? Why were residents of Islamabad and Rawalpindi made hostages in their own homes, because of the heavy deployment of tankers, trucks and what not on the roads of these cities? Some of them were among the most sincere and dedicated citizens of Pakistan like Tahira Abdullah who was first traumatized by the police and then humiliated by the defenders of Asif Zardari.

Just imagine the whole drama going on for so many days at the expense of this poor republic of Pakistan and its citizens. Can anyone in the corridors of power answer these questions? Will these noble leaders ever understand the great power of the people which can defeat every other power? Why can’t they just admit the facts and have the decency to say ‘sorry’? [The News]

RESPECT FOR CONSTITUTION
[M Mohammad, Sargodha]

The Chairman Senate, acting President made a few pro-PPP (Zardari) statements against the norms of constitution. I think constitutionalists, Senate, should take notice of it. As Law Minister, Mr Naek did his best to thwart the restoration of CJP, deposed judges which was proven wrong by executive order of Prime Minister on16-3-09. The loss of billions to economy must be recovered from this Government. The Finance Minister hinted at raising tariff of electricity while global oil prices have gone down by 100 dollars per barrel. I would also request Nawaz Sharif to stop playing COD cricket with PPP-Zardari on pitch which is corrupted by NRO, deception lies. This pitch must be replaced and the failed PPP-Zardari team must now go. Nation does not trust them for a day. [Pakistan Observer]

NEW MAKE DO OF ZARDARI-PPP
[Noorudin, Bahawalpur]

PPP-Zardari shivered in its spines with every new step of Nawaz Sharif's procession swelling into millions. After Aitzaz had been detained in his house, Kurd disallowed to leave Quetta: major leaders of lawyers arrested, government ruthless measures to obstruct long march, it was Nawaz Sharif who took risk on his life to make the Long march a great success forcing restoration of CJP and judges. But it is ingratitude galore that leaders of lawyers, including Aitzaz Ahsan conveniently forgot Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Qazi Hussein, all leaders of Sindh, Bolichistan, NWFP who supported the Long March but sadly wrapped on recommendation once again of leaders of lawyers. Aitzaz Ahsan started making personal political party and also for Zardari-PPP. In fact he had already politicized his press conference under the banner of PPP. If he had to put on PPP banner, he should have also put up other parties' banners and raised their slogan. Either he is wooing to befriend Zardari or gathering PPP dissidents, this was not the right method. It is indeed disgusting. Lawyers leaders have completely forgotten the issue of jiala judges flooded in all courts. They conveniently forget that Zardari-PPP has once again backtracked on resolving issues on COD, Governor raj in Punjab, restoring ML-N government. [The Frontier Post]

LOYAL TO WHOM?
[Rehana Mohyuddin, Islamabad]

I don’t know when our politicians will understand that unconditional support and loyalty given to a party’s government irrespective of its actions and deeds doesn’t do any good to anyone not even to the party itself. It is the integrity of a party’s members which gives credibility to the party. Integrity demands that wrong actions should be condemned irrespective of party loyalty. If a political party chooses to be represented by all those who don’t heed to the voice of their conscience then no one can save it from destroying itself completely. [The News]

OBVIATE DELAYED JUSTICE
[A Mohammad Ali, Sahiwal]

The nation, their leaders and ruling elites not respecting rule of law, constitution, not punishing the criminals, corrupt and constitution violators soon perish. Pakistan is fortunate that it has been saved from this brink by Lawyers movement, Long March tremendously supported by civil society, political parties and especially Nawaz Sharif spearheading Long March on 15th March, 09. With honorable CJP, judges coming back in their rightful positions I would request them to undo constitutional wrongs at the earliest possible confronting the nation. I would request the honorable Chief Justice to sit in cases pertaining to constitutional, judicial cases to obviate possibility of procrastination as previously in the case of Musharraf contesting election in uniform.

This procrastination allowed him to gather every force to depose the judges and rape the constitution. This can happen again. I would beg them to undo the wrong Governor Raj, 17th amendment, 58-2B, NRO, qualification clause waived off for Mr Zardari, Election Commission not rejecting his Presidential nomination without personal assets declared by him. His honorable CJP bans further raise of electricity tariff when government is not supplying electricity for 10-12 hours a day and retrospectively compensates on 18-12-08 level. After it, looters, corrupts must be punished and 1000 trillions rupees recovered looted in stock, estate, commodity, money, gold, etc markets and another 10000 trillions rupees of corruption by all in last sixty years. [Pakistan Observer]

CONTAINERS AND DEMOCRACY
[Ather Imran Nawaz, Rawalpindi]

As the nation rejoices at the success of a just struggle for the restoration of judiciary, there is a need to evaluate the actions of the federal and provincial governments to stop the long march. The march was planned to be peaceful and non-violent, similar to last year’s. The objective was a display of massive support of people in a peaceful way, something that the government could not afford. The worst action was the illegal impounding of tens of hundreds of supply containers by federal and provincial governments to block the roads. These contained goods mostly for ordinary people and were impounded without any legal justification. This then caused damage of millions to the suppliers, transporters and retailers and end consumers.

It is ironic that the government makes all efforts to ensure safe passage of containers for NATO supplies to Afghanistan (possibly to provide fuel for the drones hitting us) but impounds those that contain food for Pakistanis. This is the worst example of a ‘democratic’ government massively robbing its own people to seek protection for itself. [The News]

IS IT CONSTITUTIONAL?
[Shahid Ali, Scotland]

I saw President Zardari visiting Bolichistan and in poitical-partisan role being Chairman of PPP-Zardari. Can he indulge in political activity according to the norms of Constitution, which is a violation. Since Judiciary has become independent, I would request the CJP to take suo moto notice to put an end to it to uphold supremacy of Constitution and rule of law and impose penalty as suggested by Constitution. It is not a personal “jagir” of anyone. We have to set things right for future. [The Post]

YELLING SOFT GENDER!
[Mahi Cheenabi, Gujrat]

I sometime wonder on the spokes-ladies, lady ministers of Zardari-PPP on TV talk shows, if by any measure they belong to soft gender. They seem o to carry more of animal instinct; shouting, querrling, pouncing on TV anchors, other opposing guests on talk shows. It puts me in shame. Not much different are male ministers, spokespersons who should be beholden to Mr Nawaz Sharif for stopping his Long march at Gujranawal . .Had he continued it to Jehlum and not deceived by Zardari-PPP by over trusting Mr Galani,all issues of Governor raj,58-2B,17th amendment etcetc could had been settled. Masses had risen (not only for Nawaz Sharif) but against Zardari-PPP for its ruinous policies against poor and enslaving Pakistan to drones, USA, UK, IMF, India etc. As soon Musharraf prepared charge sheet against this Zardari-PPP rampant corruption, they lost no time to pass no confidence resolution against Musahrraf compelling him to resign. But Nawaz Sharif keeps trusting Zardari-PPP whom 90 percent nation has shown no confidence. [Pakistan Observer]

FAUZIA WAHAB’S IRRATIONALITY
[Dr Ghayur Ayub, London]

I sometimes feel sorry for Mr. Asif Ali Zardari for carrying heavy loads as a co- chairman of PPP and the President of Pakistan. On both fronts, he is counselled by advisors, majority of which fail to understand ground realities. One such person is Ms Fauzia Wahab who recently replaced the soft spoken and highly intelligent Sherry Rehman as information secretary. She is out of touch with political and historical facts making her arguments on talk-shows, irrational, absurd and sometimes irritating. Watching her first press conference, after she took over the new assignment, and listening to her on “Live with Talat” Programme, it became obvious that AAZ doesn’t need enemies to make his political path thorny. People like FW are doing fantastic job making his journey as prickly as possible. I wonder what made AAZ choose her for such an important post. [The Frontier Post]

A QUESTION TO PRESIDENT'S DEFENDERS
[M S Hasan, Karachi]

I wonder what the defenders of President Asif Ali Zardari, such as Farahnaz Ispahani, Qamaruzzaman Kaira, Fauzia Wahab and Farhatullah Babar will make of Foreign Policy's list of the "world's biggest losers" which has the president in it? Will they now attack this respectable US-based magazine and say that the inclusion is a conspiracy against the country and the president?
[The News]

CHARTER OF DEMOCRACY
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]

Nawaz Sharif has wiped his slate clean with his initiative to get the two major political parties to sign the Charter of Democracy. The Charter binds the signatories to politics of principle, support to the government in power, refrain from destabilising a government, commitment to the judiciary, commitment to the media and so on. He has proved his commitment by supporting the PPP government for a whole year. This was a first in Pakistan politics. Nawaz Sharif can only be faulted if he fails in any of the commitments he is a signatory to, and not for any thing he might have done prior to signing the CoD. [The Post]

ALLAH IS OUR LORD
[Dr Muhammad Yaqoob Bhatti, Lahore]

President Asif Ali Zardari is reported to have said at the farewell dinner of former Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar that he will always bow his head "to the judgements of the Lordships". The government had long decided that judges of courts ought to be addressed as 'Sir' and not as 'my Lord' as the word Lord is often deemed to refer to Allah Almighty. Using that word would, thus, be invocation of Shirk, an unpardonable sin that needs to be avoided at all cost. The courts of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan are different from the British Law Courts and we ought to adopt practices that are more in consonance with the Islamic precepts. It is wrong for the President of Pakistan to refer to the Superior court judges as 'Lordships'. In the present scenario, it also smacks of flattery, a kind of placation of the judges' ego for the fear of any impending judgements in the courts. Bowing of a Muslim's head is only before Allah Almighty, not before any mortal. [The Nation]

BIRTH OF A NEW PAKISTAN
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]

Anjum Paul in his letter says, late Benazir Bhutto will be happy with this decision. My question is, if Benazir was really for the restoration of Iftikhar Chaudhry, why was everyone in PPP dead against it. Obviously Benazir had made it known to her Party that Iftikhar Chaudhry was a threat to her and was to be kept out of the Supreme Court. One Shehla Raza actually narrated on a TV channel how when Benazir was asked in a Party meeting about the change in PPP's stance, she had accused Iftikhar Chaudhry of passing judgments in favour of Musharraf for his own personal benefit and that he was no longer a people's judge. Of course she could not have told them she too was supporting Musharraf for her own personal benefits. The above explains the complete turn around of the Party. It is just not in the realm of possibility that Benazir could be for Iftikhar Chaudhry and her followers would be against him. [The Frontier Post]

HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE NRO?
[Abdullah Hussein, Lahore]

Anyone who has followed the current Wall Street fiasco knows that it was caused by rank corruption and greed of senior management of firms like AIG. They fudged figures to show profits and misinformed their clients as well as their shareholders about the extent of the risky investments they were making. Now, despite being publicly shamed by no less than the US president himself, they are clinging to their bailout funds. Do we see a parallel in Pakistan, where the state steps in and bails out those who have been accused of major corruption? Well, yes there is -- anyone heard of the NRO? [The News]

AFTER THE RESTORATION
[Bashir Hussain Azad, Chitral]

Apropos Prime Minister, Gilani's address to the nation and restoration of judiciary, it is high time that the elected Govt shuffles its cabinet and replaces some top ranking political leaders. For example, Rahman Malik, Salman Taseer could be given lucrative posts of Ambassador or high commissioner in some important countries, Farooq H. Naek could also be relocated to become ambassador or high commissioner in Europe or Far East, so that important portfolios in the Govt. could be given to the politicos workers and leader of the ruling coalition. This step will save the Government from another embarrassment in future. [The Frontier Post]

SPARE US VIEWERS, PLEASE
[Tehmina Afridi, Bahawalpur]

I hate to say it but at the risk of sounding rude I have to say that I am getting sick and tired of seeing the PPP information secretary on television. Whichever channel I switch to I invariably find her -- in all her fury. The worst part is her behaviour which is quite unbecoming of someone of her position -- she frets and fumes, scowls and rolls her eyes the way my toddler does. My request to all television channels is to please have pity on us viewers. [The News]

BEFITTING SLAP
[Mahabat Khan Bangash, Peshawar]

Reinstatement of CJ Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was the wish of the people, which proved a befitting slap on the face of Gen (R) Musharraf and the anti-democratic forces. There is no doubt that the people of Pakistan are democratic minded but unfortunately we lack sincere leadership after Quaid-e-Azam. "Agar nam ho to yeh matti barri zarkhez hai saaqi" [The Frontier Post]

From the National Press

WHO ARE THE ACTORS?
[Jameel Hussain, Karachi]

Everybody is talking about the recent international financial crisis but nobody is asking for the credit rating organisations (CRO) as to why and which CROs issued clean bills of health to the companies which have gone into financial crisis. Likewise, everybody talks about terrorism and very few ask the question as to who provides ammunition to the terrorists. Anybody listening? [Dawn]

TAXES — FOR WHAT?
[Ayesha Marium, Karachi]

For the last 60 years all governments — elected or military — have criminally neglected Pakistan’s social sectors. We still have millions of people who do not have access to clean drinking water or any semblance of adequate healthcare and/or education. What do we all pay taxes for I wonder.
[The News]

SBP ON NON-PERFORMING LOANS
[Fuzail Zubaid Ahmed, Saudi Arabia]

This refers to a news item in Dawn’s business pages (March 25). Before coming to the main point, I would like to mention that building up of Non Performing Loans (NPLs) is a natural outcome of economic downturns, especially after a long period of sharp credit growth. Fortunately, the regulators were keeping a good watch over loan loss provisioning, because of which the buildup in banks NPLs is going to be less painful for the Pakistani banking system. And now the main point that I would like to suggest to SBP, if they are not already doing it, is that they should use these new loan defaults to analyse and verify the internal risk rating systems and risk monitoring efforts of the banks.

This can be achieved by going through each bank’s last 5 years' history of new defaulting borrowers. If such histories of all new big defaulters are compiled, we can all learn some good lessons in reducing bank defaults in future. To clarify, suppose a company is the borrower of a bank, say NBP, and has recently become a defaulter. SBP should also ask the bank to compile answers to the following questions: When did the bank’s credit department become aware of the risk of default of this particular client? What steps were taken by the bank to prevent the client from going into default? Was there any risk downgrade effected by the bank’s internal risk rating system, and what is the history of such downgrades? When did the audited financial statements of the defaulter raise the read flag for the bank and how long did the bank take to figure it out? And so on and so forth. Perhaps all new defaults over Rs.100m need to be researched.

If anybody from SBP’s relevant department reads this letter, he or she would know why these questions need to be answered, and what useful lessons could be learnt from the answers. To retain the independent nature of this research assignment, SBP might want to appoint outside consultants (perhaps from amongst credit rating agencies and CA firms) to carry out this research and jointly compile lessons for the whole banking system. The idea is not to threaten banks with punitive actions but to reduce the probabilities of default and that should serve both the banks as well as the borrowers. Banks themselves would be the prime beneficiaries as they can improve their risk monitoring efforts as well as internal risk rating systems. I am assuming here that all Pakistani banks have developed their internal risk rating systems.

HAPPY LOADSHEDDING
[M. Rafique Zakaria, Karachi]

The government has announced electricity loadshedding of 6 to 8 hours throughout the country for an indefinite period. The Minister for Water and Power, Raja Pervez Ashraf has assured the nation that by December, loadshedding will end in every part of the country. What I have not been able to understand so far about electricity loadshedding is that when factories and offices are closed after 6 pm, why do we spend nights in the dark and why do our children prepare for their examinations in candle lights? I work as administrator in a private firm that has 65 air conditioners in the building. By 6pm, 50 to 55 air conditioners are switched off because the office staff starts leaving. By 7:30pm, the entire building is shut with only one bulb of the watchman’s room switched on. And this is how 70 to 80 per cent of the offices operate in Karachi.

Due to recent recession, factories are also working on single shifts instead of two, thus saving electricity after 6pm. Why then do we have to go for 6 to 8 hours of loadshedding everyday? Where does the power of these offices and factories go is anybody’s guess. And has any citizen of this country ever heard of loadshedding being carried out at the presidency, Prime Minister House, Governor House of any province or at the residents of our ministers? Is it because we are not producing enough electricity for our country? Or is it because the power ministry, despite collecting millions of rupees from consumers under different tax headings, does not release enough funds to the power generating institutions for purchase of furnace oil? We have about fifty television news channels in the country today but not one single channel has the wit to invite the minister for water and power and investigate the power issue.

I think time has come for the nation to come out for the restoration of their own rights, the way people of Pakistan responded to the call of lawyers for restoration of the chief justice of Pakistan on March 16 too. If we don’t do it now, I wish the nation ‘Happy loadshedding’ for the future. [Dawn]

GLORIFYING POVERTY
[Dr Meher A. Zaidi, Karachi]

I agree with Arundhati Roy’s article, ‘Nothing sells like poverty’ (March 1), especially this ‘glorification of poverty’ aspect. Both India and Pakistan are guilty of this. Here we present TV plays often falsely projecting rich lifestyles as a road to success. We often do not highlight poor backgrounds as it would not sell. We often glorify poverty as if nothing would change the situation and whatever is happening is God willing. Film Slumdog Millionaire was produced as a result of typical Midas’ touch approach. It is the winning of so many Oscars that reflects the stupid and unread approach of the Oscar’s board — glorifying poverty, stupid quick fix, Alice in the Wonderland kind of solutions. The writer is so right. [Dawn]

THREE INDUCTED INTO POLICE AS DSP
[Shahzad Sohail, Karachi]

THIS refers to the news ‘Three inducted into police as DSP’ (March 24). I have taken this news item very seriously because a gross violation of rules and procedure has been committed as merit and legitimate right of competent candidates have been bypassed. It is very ironic that three people have been directly inducted into the Sindh police as deputy superintendents not because they cleared any exam conducted by Sindh or Federal Public Service Commission, but because all three have a strong political backing. I fail to understand by what means they were easily accepted to get training at the National Police Academy, Islamabad joining the course after a lapse of three months. How could three politically backed candidates do the most professional training with ASPs who have cleared the examination of CSS?

Such induction of candidates in the elite group will only create hopelessness in the minds and hearts of hundreds of competent students who are burning midnight oil to get through the competitive exam. Whereas, the Police Order 2002 after 87 amendments which have been made to it over the past seven years, clearly states that “The recruitment in the police other than ministerial and specialist cadres shall be (made) in the rank of constables, assistant sub-inspectors and assistant superintendents of police.” So how were these persons selected as DSPs? This is a clear violation of law.

It is also learnt that out of the three “DSPs” being trained in the National Police Academy in Islamabad, two happen to be relatives of politicians while the third one is a relative of a senior officer of the Sindh police, and all three were reportedly working in different government departments.I appeal to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Chaudhry Iftikhar, to take notice of such illegal direct appointments and also take stern action against the people responsible, so that hope of merit may not die for the students and such practice of political appointments may come to an end. This will also save the image of our police department. [Dawn]

THE STATE OF A PUBLIC HOSPITAL
[A Concerned Student, Karachi]

It takes just one trip to the Civil Hospital, Karachi, to see the plight of our sick and poor countrymen. A huge number of patients throng the various wards of the hospital every day, but the condition of the hospital is in a disastrous state. Maintenance of hygiene is very poor. One can find stray dogs roaming about in the hospital and cats, rats and an uncountable number of cockroaches and termites infest the interior of the wards, sometimes even right next to the patient’s bed. Open drains can be seen in some of the wards which are one of the causes of the unbearable stench. Floors and walls are covered with dirt and stains that are glaring proof that they haven’t been cleaned for years. Trash can be found strewn at many places within the vicinity of the hospital.

Furthermore, there is an acute shortage of waiting areas for relatives of patients. Consequently, one finds these people occupying the passageways and stairs in the hospital, impeding movement of not only doctors but also of other patients being transferred from one ward to another on stretchers. On the one hand, the hospital is in a highly dilapidated state and, on the other hand, money can be found being thrown on literally unnecessary projects in the affiliated college of he CHK located next to the hospital. Libraries, buildings and stairs that were in perfectly usable conditions and required absolutely no change have been needlessly renovated. In addition, a huge number of light bulbs and fans are continuously on in places that are not used, with no one to keep an eye on the misuse of electricity. I urge the authorities to utilise the government endowments in a proper and fair way and spend the money on providing better facilities to the poor patients at the CHK. [Dawn]

A HELPLESS MAN AND HIS SICK WIFE
[N. Gilani, Peshawar]

On Feb 4 I took my wife to Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, as she was suffering from serious pregnancy-related problems. She was admitted to the labour room. The lady doctor advised my wife for an ultrasound test. My wife, being extremely unwell, was unable to move. So, I asked for a wheelchair from the attendant who, in turn, asked for some money. Meanwhile, another person paid money to her and got a wheelchair. I complained to the doctor who refused to take any action and told me to leave the room. I took my wife for ultrasound in my arms and came back to the labour room with the ultrasound report. The doctor again advised for another ultrasound for my wife as a punishment for not paying the attendant. The ultrasound technician told me that he had printed the result once and didn’t need to test again. I returned to the doctor and told her about what the technician had said, but she shot back saying she knew things better.

Being a doctor she ignored the condition of my wife. Seeing that she wasn’t going to do anything, I took my wife to a private maternity home. They informed me that they didn’t treat people who were not registered earlier as patients. Scared that something would happen to my wife I put her in a cab and on the way she delivered the baby, barely surviving the ordeal. The high-ups of the health department, seniors of the Hayatabad Medical Complex, a government hospital, and the minister for health should conduct an inquiry into the matter and punish those found guilty of gross negligence. [Dawn]

MIGHTY MOTORCADE
[Hammad Husain, Islamabad]

Whenever the chief of naval staff travels through Islamabad, one finds the naval police deployed on all intersections, directing traffic, in most cases without a traffic police constable. The traffic lights are duly switched off and there have been instances where the vehicles escorting the motorcade have rudely waved away traffic out of the motorcade's path. I have seen a naval police escort jeep swerve towards a car in an attempt to make it move to the side of the road, so that the naval chief's motorcade can pass unimpeded. Such behaviour is unacceptable. As a civilian and a taxpayer I would like to ask the admiral under which law do the naval police do all of this? The residents of Islamabad are only bound by law to follow the directions of the Islamabad traffic police. The naval chief and his entourage are also bound by the same Pakistani laws. [The News]

COLONIAL LAWS WERE GOOD
[Mahabat Khan Bangash, Peshawar]

Samar Babar wrote in the letters' section on March 9 that all our laws were made before partition by the British. Of course these laws were framed by the British, but with devotion and sincere will, after a thorough deep research and study of this land, society and the culture. Therefore, these laws helped run the state properly and maintained the writ of the government even in the remote areas. After independence in 1947 the leaderships of subsequent governments, civil as well as military, made unwarranted amendments of their choice to these laws for political benefits and selfish motives which changed the spirit of the law and made them weak. I am sure that most of our problems would be solved if these British laws (without the amendments made to it so far) are implemented and followed in its true spirit. [The News]

LULL BEFORE THE STORM
[Bahre Kamal, Wg Cdr (R), Peshawar]

During my recent visit to Swat, I felt unusual calm and quiet in the air. Faces were blank and smiles seemed artificial. Even the river made no noise and the birds seemed to have migrated to safer places. It looked like a lull before the storm. I hope my fears are misplaced. [Dawn]

DEARTH OF LEADERSHIP
[M S Hasan, Karachi]

This refers to an interesting article on the emergence and conduct of the MQM as a political entity by Gibran Peshimam (March 18). Proportionately and as a percentage of the national population, the Urdu-speaking community has the highest literacy rate in the country. Even members of the most impoverished sections of this community can read and write in their mother tongue. It also has a considerable percentage of people working as professionals in medicine, engineering, education, banking, IT and trade and industry. The community is also well-represented in the officers' cadre of the armed forces. By and large, this is an educated, informed, pragmatic and relatively enlightened community, yet it is isolated from the national political mainstream.

Now coming to the genesis and emergence of the MOM as a political entity, it is important to know that it was the acute sense of depravation and frustration following the defeat of Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah's presidential election bid against Ayub Khan, and then followed by the parochial policies of the PPP under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the language riots and then the imposition in Sindh of a quota system. During the 60s and the early 70s, out of the first 20 qualifiers to the Civil and Foreign Services in the CSS, the top 12 or so would come from urban Sindh. That is not the case anymore -- one doesn't even find them in the top 25 now. The 80s saw the birth of the MQM as a political party and it was spearheaded by the disappointed, dejected, unemployed but educated Urdu-speaking youth of Sindh.

What a pity that an educated and enlightened community with history of impeccable traditions, a developed culture and fine arts, literature, and with outstanding leaders in the professional and corporate world, has not been able to produce an equally astute, honest and accomplished political leadership and remains out of the nation's mainstream dynamics -- unlike their fellow migrants to Punjab who have embraced completely and wholeheartedly the local culture, traditions and language as part of their new identity. It is time for the Urdu-speaking community of urban Sindh to re-think and re-engineer its approach to national mainstream politics, matters of assimilation into the local indigenous population, of course without forgetting or abandoning their values. [The News]

NEEDLESS CEREMONY AT WAGAH
[B A Malik, Islamabad]

The daily flag-lowering ceremony staged by the border guards of Pakistan and India at Wagah gives one the impression as if the two nations were at war. The anger and hatred which mark the hostile movements and stomping of big boots by soldiers on both sides promote an atmosphere of intolerance and revulsion -- the very antithesis of peace. It appears that the two nations have learnt nothing from the mutual destruction caused by their mistrust of each other. Why else would both allow such a ceremony to be carried out every day, in front of thousands of spectators on both sides? The latter raise slogans which reflect their impetuous readiness to fight and crush each other. My suggestion is why can't the two neighbours transform this ceremony to promote peace and trust between each other? Such displays of hatred are not good entertainment. If the conduct of the soldiers on either side cannot be changed, then perhaps both governments should consider allowing artists on both sides to converge at the border and entertain the crowds present. While walls have fallen in other parts of the world we in South Asia are still engaged in building them and fortifying them -- and for what? [The News]

GRABBING THE OPPORTUNITY
[Syed Asad Nizam, Karachi]

There is no roadmap to right all the wrongs: it may take 60 more years or even 100 years to accomplish our goals but it lies with us to accomplish this mission. So, I beg of you to grab the opportunities in life to make a difference, hold on to the qualities that make an honourable man, teach yourself and your children the true meaning of being a Pakistani. The day you realise this yourself, like I have, then that day is the beginning for your righteous causes and liberating movements. [Dawn]

Edited and prepared by
Khalil Ahmad

Email: khalilkf@yahoo.com khalil@asinstitute.org

FreePakistan Newsletter, among other things, is a compilation of views and news taken from the national newspapers’ print and online editions. It is not possible to mention the source of every piece of news or view made use of herein; but as a matter of policy, where possible the source is mentioned with due thanks. However, no opinion expressed here should necessarily be taken as reflecting the view of Free Pakistan Newsletter.

Long live the Black Coat Revolution!

Newsletters

News Releases

First Drops Of The Rain (FreePakistan Newsletter #100)

CONTENTS:

FIRST DROPS OF THE RAIN

AFTER THE RESTORATION

FAILURE OF MICROFINANCE?

Letters to FreePakistan

HumorWise

Issue of the Month: Marching along

Issue of the month: Strengthening the establishment PPP style

From the National Press

Subscribe to our Newsletter:

Conference on Climate Change

Hum-Azad

Ideas for a Free and Responsible Society

Charter of Liberty

Email