Emergency: Martial Law in Disguise

It took me some time to write this blog. There are two main reasons for that. Initially, I was in disbelief about the manner in which the ‘emergency’ was implemented. Yes, like every other Pakistani I did expect an emergency at some point in time. But, the manner in which the judiciary and media were murdered was devastating. Secondly, after realizing that the ugliest crime had been committed by our ruler, I was left with so much to say that it was not enough to just write an article. Therefore, this blog will always remain incomplete in my eyes.

As the title suggests, I do not believe that Pakistan is facing an emergency at the moment. It is clearly a martial law which has been given the name of ‘emergency.’ It is shameful to know that a leader has brought in a martial law against himself. He is the first leader in Pakistan to get a martial law twice in one country. Not only that; in broad daylight our President murdered the judiciary which had finally become independent after 60 years. Then to add on, our people were deprived of information by a complete blackout of media channels all over Pakistan. There is hardly anything left after what Musharraf has done. Uptil a few days back I used to address him as our President, no matter how controversial his title was. Now, he does not deserve this half-hearted respect even.

Straight away, I want to express my support and respect for the eight ‘removed’ judges of the Supreme Court who passed a verdict immediately; declaring the emergency invalid. In addition, they left with stature when they headed back to their residencies like an everyday procedure of the judges. But, on the other hand Musharraf had ofcourse reached a point of no return. He was so blinded in the lust for power that he did not realize that he was helping himself in his demise as a ruler. The ‘emergency’ was indeed a martial law once the constitution was suspended during the course of action. Musharraf used our respectable armed forces to carry out a crime against our nation. He proved that he is a self-centered leader who is only interested in saving his own power. For that he is ready to compromise on anything; even the existence of Pakistan. Yes. I say 'existence' and am forced to use these harsh words. The reason is that, he has completely damaged our sovereignty by acting only on Americans’ consent.

In his speech later during the day, he caused more damage to our country by carrying out various acts of shamelessness. In the speech first, he mentioned that he was tired of the ‘taunts’ he was receiving from various quarters for being so tolerant. Yes, ‘Mr. President' you are a tolerant leader indeed when you tear apart the law of Pakistan for the sake of sitting in your presidency for a few more moments. You are indeed tolerant ‘Mr. President,' when you terminate the basic human rights of a citizen. To further the cause, he made a fool of himself by stating that his case on dual offices kept on lingering and it only created a lot of uncertainty. Therefore, no more patience was possible.

Musharraf, our nation has waited for 60 years for the independence of judiciary. I can say with complete conviction that they could have waited a few more days. But, the whole nation knows that you were not impatient but were arrogant. Your agenda in October 1999 takeover may have been sincere at that point in time. But, during the course of these years your mind wandered to the tunnel of illusions. You started off as a hopeful leader like many before. But, towards the end you became the worst of them. First, you gave up all the cases by the drama of 'national reconciliation ordinance' in which every politician became innocent. At least before, they were innocent till proven guilty. Over time, you may have not dismembered our country but you have done your level best in making it possible.

To further say, Musharraf then said with confidence that he had consulted the international community before he took the drastic measures.

Musharraf, according to your own views our nation was sovereign and no compromise was to be done on this issue. And, you said your strength derived from the people of Pakistan. Then why did you draw your strength from the international community? Our nation was built by our founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, who was a true Pakistani. Then why did you consult the international community which has no right on any of the internal affairs of our country?

As if this was not enough to humiliate and sink the hearts of millions of Pakistani, you went even further. You quoted the ‘Great’ Abraham Lincoln of United States of America. Musharraf, you felt that Allama Iqbal and countless other leaders of our country were not worthy enough for their mention in your speech. But do not forget, you once mentioned them immediately after you banned the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar- e-Jhangvi. At that time you were pure leader from the land of the pure; Pakistan. The nation backed you at that point in time and understood your decision. But in your speech, you requested the West for some time so that we can lose whatever little of dignity which was left in our nation. After all at least you realized that 60 years of belief in Pakistan would take some time to diminish amongst the people of Pakistan.

Then the most shameful speech of our history ended with our national anthem being shown on our television screens, and the anthem being sounded at the radio. The flag, which was distinguished with its colors and symbols of faith, unity, and discipline, looked meaningless and torn apart. That moment I, as a Pakistani, was disgraced with humiliation and insult. Our nation was given the most unconvincing reasons for taking away our basic civil liberties.

But, this was not enough. It was now the turn of most of the political parties of Pakistan to fail us. Especially the Pakistan Peoples Party, which is the largest political party in Pakistan amongst the voters; who are also just 30 percent of our country. The party illustrated that they also had a lustful dictator who runs their party; Ms. Benazir Bhutto. This act of murder by Musharraf, required the PPP to come out immediately on the streets and condemn the unjust removal of our judges. But, she only looked towards her own personal interest. Even today, she deceives our nation and the opposition parties by playing on both sides of the table. Her party has only one person, which deserves utmost respect for his bravery and courageous display against Musharraf. And that is Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, who proved that he was loyal to his profession rather than his affiliations. He is indeed one leader, who has some sort of real popularity amongst the civil society of the country. But, till today Benazir has not issued a single strong statement in Aitzaz's unjust confinement.

She keeps her party united on weak strings and only looks towards the corridors of power at this crucial juncture. She plays a role of a politician who her respectable father, if alive today, would have opposed till his last breath. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto stood against the intervention of the unjust intervention of the Army in politics. People say, he made a few unwise decisions towards the end of his tenurem which cost him his life. However to my view, one of his unwise decisions was to nominate his selfish daughter to take forward his dynasty. He was not aware of the fact that she would just turn out to be an agent of furthering the American cause. It is a cause which believes in dividing the country of Pakistan. In addition, they plan to create instability in the country which will lead to an imminent action to disarm our nuclear capability. Already, the U.S. senate has discussed the possible ‘emergency plan' to do so.

It is high time that our nation stands up. Yes, we miss the real leaders who will lead our nation. The leaders who are ready to take the bullet of sacrifice for the people of Pakistan. Imran Khan, may be some sort of hope for our country. But, unfortunately he has not been able to be the charismatic and vibrant leader of the people who will roar against the prevailing injustice. Our youth represent nearly 70 percent of our society. But, there is no one at the platform to take them forward. The platform exists in PPP to some extent, but they are missing a leader. A genuine leader exists in PTI (Pakistan Tehrik Insaf) and they may have some sort of platform. But, over the years Imran Khan has not been able to strike the hearts, strongly enough, of the poor people of Pakistan. Pakistan is at a critical juncture where it needs a revolution to clean up this dirt of politicians. MQM, PML-Q and all government alliance parties should be tried for treason. If not the parties, then leaders should be asked to be answerable to the people of Pakistan. Even today, our masses remain silent in terms of their actions. But, I strongly believe that their desire to come out becomes more intense. All they need is a leader to take them forward.

A leader who says ‘I am a leader who does not sit in the lavish surroundings of the Presidency or the PM house. But, I am leader who resides in every heart of you people; the people of Pakistan. So that even if I want to do injustice to our country, I am not able to do so. Because amongst you people I will just be a small drop of bad blood in the heart. Over time new blood, in the form of people, will make sure that the power, to make the heart pump, remains amongst the people; rather than above them. As I said I want to reside in the 160 million hearts of Pakistan. And not in the corridors of power.’

Supreme Court: Far from expectations

Things have never been so polarized as they seem to be at the moment. The Supreme Court declared the petition against the dual offices as 'invalid' for any prosecution. This is a big blow the opposition, which had pinned a lot of hopes with the nine-member bench under the chairmanship of Justice Rana Bhagwandas. However, it is not a surprise for many who should have read between the lines.

Any avid follower of politics through the print, and electronic media would have predicted this verdict. During the hearing of the case, there were several times when Justice Rana Bhagwandas stated that it was the parliament which validated the dual offices, rather than courts. This itself was an indication that the decision would indeed turn to be in favor of General Pervez Musharraf. However, there was also a lot of 'behind the scenes' pressure on a few unnamed judges who reportedly met high ranking officials days before the verdict. It was stated that the situation is pretty much black and white. If the verdict goes in favor of Musharraf then its all well and good. However, if there was any movement of the verdict from the above statement then there is an imminent possibility of martial law being imposed all over the country. This itself, I believe also led the decision in favor of the President by a healthy margin of 6-3. The private meetings which were held 'behind the scenes' must not have secured more than a couple of judges for getting it their way. However, those judges would have definitely created an impression that if the verdict was indeed against the President, then things would go out of control.

If a martial law was imposed, these so called 'guardians of justice' would have been made non-functional. As a result, they would have been inactive and they would have been made helpless infront of the nation. I believe it was the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry, which got independence rather than the whole institution. Recent figures of judiciary claim that around 85% of the judiciary is corrupt and it is the third most corrupt institution in Pakistan. Therefore, if a martial law was in place I am sure that General Pervez Musharraf or the new commander leading the scenario would have been able to find enough 'Pakistan loving' judges who would have replaced the current school of lawmakers.

The other interesting aspect about the whole incident is the manners in which the lawyers have reacted. It is sad to know that the same lawyers who had supported the CJ when he was wrongfully removed from his post, are claiming that verdict is biased. The lawyers need to take a crystal clear stand that they are either for an independent judiciary or a 'Musharraf-free' Pakistan. The manner in which they reacted confirmed to me at least that they were just against one man rather than the unjustified system. Even today, I can say with 100% confidence that I can buy a lawyer in Pakistan to get a false case registered in my favor for a mere thousand rupees. Therefore, things have not changed in a way they should have. In addition, I do not agree that the verdict was biased but rather it was not a legal verdict. It was a political verdict. If the verdict would have against Musharraf then Pakistan would have been destabilized. There is no doubt that a martial law would have been put in place. Therefore, the judges left their duty for a moment and took a political decision. This is a sad part in its own way, as political matters are solved through political negotiations. After this verdict, the judges are once again faced with an allegation of being 'politicized.' The lawyers, however, seem to be always politicized. It is not a hidden fact anymore the kind of funding which was provided by Mr. Nawaz Sharif to the media and lawyers community to create an upheaval against Musharraf. Therefore, it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of every person who loves Pakistan. Maybe, that is the 'strange' reason why no real masses of people of Pakistan should at any of the days after the restoration of Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry.

What happened on October 29th was also a disgraceful scene. A day earlier, I supported the overall scenario that a martial law was averted. Even though, the judiciary did not fulfill its commitment of abiding my constitution completely. They were indeed politicized by then. But, a day later President Musharraf broke all records to show that he is no more capable of being a tolerant leader. His ongoing tussle with the media had been going on for a while. That was partly because of genuine friction and was also because of the politicization of celebrity journalists who have reportedly taken hefty amounts from opposition to fulfill their agenda. This an issue which I will discuss in my later issues about the manner in which the media has some hidden culprits who change the course of peoples' thoughts. Getting back to Saturday, it was indeed a disgraceful moment. The IG of Islamabad, Manver Shah, showed that he had no fear due to complete backing of the higher administration. The policemen were dressed in white civilian clothes and carried out targeted atrocities on the media people. It was an embarrassing moment for Pakistanis all over the world who witnessed 'freedom of media' in its ugliest form. I partially understand the reason why police had been brought out to take care of the lawyers. Especially ever since Ahmed Kurd had made some aggressive remarks against the army, rather than one person. As I have stated in my earlier blogs, it is wrong for any Pakistan to publicly insult the military institution of Pakistan. Yes, there are some people who have taken part in politics but that does not give any right to any citizen to insult the remaining 90 percent people of the Army who are genuinely defending our homeland. In addition, the lawyers have now shown to the world that they are not genuine as well. Most of them are just creating chaos to take power in their hands rather than being independent. However, what happened with the media personnel was completely unjustified. Never in the history of Pakistan have 32 media personnel been injured in any government tussle. This was worse than the famous slashing of journalist in the era of Zia.

These actions by all the parties involved; lawyers, Presidency camp, government, opposition, media, are just leading to chaos and anarchy. I truly believe that Pakistan should not have a martial law. But, if a martial has to be imposed then it needs to be a takeover in which more than thousands of corrupt people are taken to gallows. The reason for that is power corrupts. When President Musharraf first came to power he gave the people of Pakistan a lot of hope. But, enventually he became a part of a system for which he justified his entry into power. Today, after 8 years of military rule we have not been able to create even one leader in Pakistan. A hope was sparkled in the message of Imran Khan of PTI. But, that also blurred away due to the smoke and dust of his surroundings.

In the coming weeks, it seems like Musharraf will indeed get re-elected and will doff his uniform according to his promise. However, I still strongly believe that a deal with Pakistan's largest party, PPP, has been struck. Both Musharraf and BB are playing their cards well to dodge the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. who are breathing their last moments. However, if Musharraf decides to move away from from the commitment then he would be acting as a catalyst in bringing down his downfall. It seems like President Musharraf is moving towards the ultimate end of his power. It is only a matter of time which would decide if this end comes like cancer or rather a sudden collapse. Our history is filled with examples of the latter one rather than former.

Musharraf's Isolation

Congratulations to all the Pakistanis, especially those who had lost hope in our system. In addition, I would like to extend my heartiest felicitations to Pakistan Tehrik Insaf and their leader, Imran Khan, for their long struggle for the independence of judiciary. I hope that July 20^th, 2007, will mark the beginning of the new era. It has the potential of being an era, where the true people of Pakistan will at least get justice.

This decision is historic in many perspectives. But, there is still a long way to go. Unfortunately in the past, we have believed in many new beginnings every time a historic event has taken place. After receiving overwhelming support from the masses, will Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry deliver? This question can only be answered after a certain passage of time.

However, the reinstatement of Chief Justice brings to light many new issues to our minds. Firstly, who is responsible for this saga? Even after this decision, it is hard to believe that such a decision has actually been taken. Is it true that after 60 years, the ‘hidden powers’ are no longer powerful to make a decision go the government’s way? The same ‘hidden powers’ that are given the ‘SOS’ signal by the Presidency at the time of a political crisis. If this is true, then may be the whole notion of ‘hidden powers’ being so powerful was just a myth. Or we are so blinded in the cause of being against the recent policies of the government, that we see all circles of the ruling establishment as one unit. This conclusion can be the most genuine example of an oversimplified generalization.

Many may not agree, but it seems like General Pervez Musharraf; believed as the ‘most powerful man’ in Pakistan has been a victim of the same poison which doomed many; the poison of ‘power.’ It may be still true that the ‘hidden powers’, which also include many bureaucrats of our society, have been able to create chaos to benefit their own interest. At this point in time, it may be unclear as to who is the primary beneficiary. But, the prospective candidates are many. When the reference was initiated against the Chief Justice on March 9, 2007, there were many people who were at the forefront while a few of them remained at the background. A couple of outspoken personalities include our Law Minister – Wasi Zafar, and Chief Minister, Sindh – Ghulam Arbab Rahim. It is still clear to my mind the confidence of our Law Minister in stating that another reference is ready for be filed in the court, along with the admission that he played a vital role in creating the dismissed reference. It seems like that his days are numbered, after his exclusion from the round-up by the PM to share the ‘depression’ which haunted their hearts and minds after the July 20^th decision. However, it will be interesting to hear our Chief Minister, when he taunted the judicial system by comparing them to the doctors; who get paid to operate unethically on their patients. Well, God bless our Chief Minister but it is also important to have the blessings of the new Chief Justice; Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. Well the Chief Justice has no right to complain about the work he has to do now. There are hopes of millions of Pakistanis attached with this ‘civilian hero.’

Now let us study the people who are indeed powerful in our society. During the whole crisis, Ansar Abbasi kept reminding us of a highly influential person from a powerful institution in Pakistan used to visit the ‘suspended’ Chief Justice’s residence at the middle of the night. At that time the powerful institution was definitely not the judiciary. However, the purpose of the late night meeting was not to threaten the ‘suspended’ CJ with his life. But, it was to reassure him of the decisions which were to be taken. So does that mean the ‘hidden powers’ are still powerful? To me the answer is in the positive. But, the grave part of the whole scenario is that the ‘most powerful man’ in Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf, has been isolated.

Rarely has a leader in Pakistan survived, when the ‘hidden powers’ have showed their lack of confidence in him. It is evident that the decision to file the reference was taken by the President and his close aides, rather than the constitutional decision-maker of the country; Shaukat Aziz. But, the close aides assured the President that the decision was in the best interest of him clinching to the reigns of power. In addition, they also assured that any agitation being demonstrated would not be of much strength and force. Then, how did the unanimous decision from the 13-member panel of the SC to re-instate the CJ came about? Therefore, this may not be entirely true that this was a completely independent decision against the ruling establishment; perceived as one unit. In fact, this may be a decision to tailor the future political setup of Pakistan minus the ‘General’ Pervez Musharraf. Maybe the patience within some quarters may have expired due to the prolonged stay of the President in uniform.

The fact that none of the policy-makers of yesterday are with him today, speaks the unsaid story of the fall of a leader. The leader who started off with a team of credible people, such as Javed Jabbar, and Lt. (r) General Moinuddin Haider to name a few, is now amongst a bunch of discredited people. Who can forget the sincere colleagues who assisted the landing of the plane on Oct. 12, 1999, by the name of General Aziz and General Usman. Both of them, were dispatched after a short period of time, due to the unreasonable demand of the American government. This all brings us to the same situation which was experienced by many of our leaders; President Ayub, President Yahya, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and President Zia.

The above mentioned analysis may be false a very large extent. But, if the above mentioned analysis is true then the statement of Benazir Bhutto, which states that after the restoration of the CJ it would be an unpopular decision for the Pakistan Peoples Party to form a deal with President Pervez Musharraf, makes a lot more sense. However, that leaves the President with an option to have Pakistan experience an emergency before the cases of his concern are taken up in the Supreme Court; uniform issue and the re-election of the President.

I clearly remember when the President stated, a few weeks back, that he would have tears in his eyes for this nation if the Chief Justice was restored. Well, it may be true that it would have happened. But, the President has so far withheld himself from stating his future course of action, other than accepting the decision. With the current wave of suicide bombings taking place all over the country, it may just be the perfect precedent to impose an emergency in our country. But, whatever the case let us hope that some sort of conspiracy is not being hatched up again to disillusion the people of Pakistan.

Muttahida Q-ornered Movement

The present scenario has made everything black & white at least for 2 people, Altaf Hussain and Imran Khan. Who could have imagined that the 'Organized Chaos' may initiate the end of an era? An era in which the people of Karachi witnessed more bloodshed than any other people in Pakistan.

June 2nd is when Imran Khan will be landing in the country where he is, maybe, more acknowledged than in his homeland; United Kingdom. After all, the wall-chalking in Karachi linking Imran Khan and Sita White only further the notion that he is an international figure. If there is one person, who has gained more mileage than anyone in the post-May 12 scenario, then its Imran Khan. But, all this could not have happened without the role of the notorious Chowdhary Brothers Inc. They have once again played their game of politics in a manner which benefited them the most.

Initially, when the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry was removed from office the MQM raised their apprehensions. They stated that they were not even consulted before the decision was taken. Rightly so, being a part of the government they did expect a prior notice of the action which was to be taken. But the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. got a head start in the game of politics which was to be played with their rules and regulations. There are reports which claim that MQM proposed to hold a joint rally with the Chowdhary Brother Inc. on May 12 to reinforce themselves as a significant part of Punjab as well. After all, they had opened a few offices in Punjab ever since they came to power. In addition, their efforts in Kashmir during the aftermath of the earthquake can not be forgotten. This request was obviously denied by the ruling party. Meanwhile, MQM which was busy carrying out development projects in Karachi, for which they were gaining public support, got their final call. The purpose of the call was to tell them to do whatever they can to show their strength when the Chief Justice lands in Karachi. Therefore, without any hesitation the party involved itself in what they were most accustomed to; use of weapons. Therefore, the May 12th occurred with the full-backing of the state-machinery. However, one thing which was unique about the event was the freedom of media. When things went out of hand previously, all news channel were banned in Sindh from broadcasting Iftikhar Muhammad Choudhry's processions. However, this time the media was allowed to function but at a higher price, of which Talat Hussain of Aaj TV can illustrate more profoundly. The fact of the matter is that even after all the hurdles the media was allowed to function. This is one of the few things for which I would like to give President Musharraf credit for.

No matter what happened the previous day, there had to be a May 13th. This was the day when the second most important trial started.
Name-Media Trial
Primary Accused- Altaf Hussain, MQM
Secondary Accused - Rest of Goverment
Allegations levelled by - Imran Khan, PTI
PPP minus two top leaders
Lawyers
ANP
MMA and rest of opposition
Neutral role/Mediator - Chowdhary Brothers Inc.

As you may have noticed, the rest of Government does not include the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. Once again, they played their cards to perfection. MQM realized that they were in mess once Aaj TV displayed their side of the story which was ,ofcourse, not so supportive of them. In addition, the opposition were given a free hand in raising their voices against the party which has never been able to become solid allies of the establishment. Realizing the mishap, they rushed to arrange press conferences and talk-shows on TV to control the irreparable damage. But, they were not aware that it was a bit too late. To make things worse, came the barring of PTI leader to enter Sindh. Imran Khan was clearly told by the officials in Punjab that he was not allowed to fly out of Allama Iqbal Airport, Lahore, only to implement the orders 'taken by Sindh government.' That means that it was not the Punjab government which was against Imran Khan's visit but it was the 'Sindh government.' This cleared all the doubts in MQM's mind that they were indeed stranded by their 'allies.' To make things worse for some and better for many came the final axe, when Imran Khan decided to file a case against the Quaid-e-Tehrik in London.

Being Britain's blue-eyed boy since last two decades, Imran Khan seems to be on high note. Majority of the British media seems to support Imran Khan for two genuine reasons. First, because he is against Musharraf who has benefited Pakistan to a certain extent, and who I still believe needs to stay in power to keep a check and balance on the political system in Pakistan. Second, to support Imran Khan who has given a significant share of 'Tabloid' cover stories to the British public. But whatever the reasons, Imran Khan has done something which no other leader could have done in the past. I believe that he has played his cards well by collaborating with Naseerullah Babar, the mastermind of the Karachi cleanup operation in the 90's, and the MQM-Haqiqi group which is an anti MQM-Altaf faction. When Altaf Hussain was granted the British passport many people like me, were disappointed with the British government's actions. It was done to hurt Pakistan. Therefore, if the British media is supporting Imran Khan it is to hurt Musharraf who they believe can take Pakistan forward. In any case, if everything goes Imran Khan's way then I believe that this time PTI will be gaining around 8-10 seats in the parliament which is a significant achievement for a party which is without the backing of the influential feudals of Pakistan. The interesting aspect in this scenario is that while these activities develop, two parties remain in contact; Musharraf and Pakistan Peoples Party.

If things go according to expectations, President Musharraf will get himself re-elected for the next 5 years in parliament only to make his next move; discard the MQM and sideline the 'conservative' PML-Q to a certain extent. The talks which are being held with Mohtarma's aides seem to be gaining momentum as neither Mohtarma nor Makhdoom Amin Fahim has criticized Musharraf the way they have in the past. On the other hand, the Peoples Party has placed Chowdhary Aitzaz Ahsan at the spotlight to ensure that the Supreme Court hearing will go their way. Even Musharraf, would have an intuition by now that the 13 member full-court bench is serious about bringing a change in the judicial system of Pakistan. If that happens, then PPP will indeed emerge as an important player in the game; the point which has been emphasized by Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed in his press conference. There is no prize for anyone to guess the future of the ruling party in Karachi. Hopefully, Pakistan Peoples Party will ensure that my question does not remain unanswered.

May 12th: 'Organized Chaos'

As you all know by now, at least 30 people have been confirmed dead officially. More than hundred are injured. Unofficial sources claim that more than 57 people have died and around 200 people have been injured on this day of 'organized chaos.' Let us not forget the driver, who was shot because his crime was that he was carrying the injured to the hospital. First of all, I would like to offer my condolences to the victims as we are all related to each other in some way or the other. It is indeed a sad day in our history.

Now, I would like to state my views on this 'organized chaos' which was created today by the ruling party of Karachi. There is no doubt in my mind, that this violence was planned way in advance and was executed to near perfection. Firstly, there were three parties involved who were engaged in violence today. They were the PPI (Punjabi Pakhtun Ittehad), ANP (Awami National Party), and MQM; without whom today was not possible. 11 workers of the MQM party also got killed in this pointless chaos, for whom I condole with their families and friends. It is indeed sad, that our leaders use the poor people of Pakistan to carry out unnecessary operations against their brothers who are also misguided by their leaders. In the year of 2007, this was not thinkable but it happened today as if it was an 'everyday affair.'

It is sad to see that all this chaos had the approval of the most powerful man in Pakistan, General Pervez Musharraf. We, as a nation, have always had hopes attached with this person. But today, he has not only failed us but showed us our worst nightmare; which happened a decade back. Again, the youth of Karachi were armed and told to kill anyone who they deemed against them. One night before the violence, 1000 plus containers were brought in to Shara-e-Faisal and everything was organized to make it impossible for Iftikhar Chowdhry to proceed. Then when one of the darkest morning arrived, it was bloodshed at the streets of Karachi. After the whole drama, the governor claims that it was the opposition. Not only this, they say that opposition people continuously attacked them first. Is it that the governor thinks that we are watching a soap opera? Or maybe, he thinks that we are just not sane enough to understand anything anymore? What benefit did the 'opposition' get by attacking Aaj TV? Why would the 'opposition' attack the institution which is clearly turning against the government over the last few weeks?

Now let me illustrate the real story. If someone was following the Aaj TV they would have seen that in the morning the channel showed some footages of ANP workers being injured and shot at. In the interview of the victims, they said that it was the MQM which attacked them with bullets. This was the turnaround. ANP workers which were few in numbers were not able to sustain for long. Within an hour, more reinforcements of the MQM party arrived and started shooting at the new enemy, Aaj TV. MQM is known to have the most organized media monitoring team amongst all the political parties in Pakistan. The footage of the injured ANP worker initiated the onslaught which was not meant to be. For hours their office was attacked with no signs of Rangers or law enforcement agencies. After nearly 5 hours of discriminatory firing a vehicle of Rangers came only to leave the area. All calls for help by the Bureau Chief, Mr. Talat Hussain, went to despair. He was not aware that he was just a victim of the 'organized chaos' which was planned way before. The federal government had given a free-hand to the ruling party in Karachi to do what they do best; create terror.

The party which had gained credibility and sympathy for their work over the last few years in Karachi lost everything in one go. There is no doubt that MQM worked well to regain the trust of the people of Karachi when they started developing Karachi at such a rapid pace. But, today that sympathy is not only lost but it has brought back the terror in Karachi'ites.

After all this, came the rally of Mr. Musharraf which was nothing but a shocker. How could a person with so much will and determination become so weak? The President addressed a bunch of less than hundred thousand people, who were paid guests, with the most un-purposeful speech ever made. How can he support the idea of talking to people who did not even know the reason for being there? If there was ever a literal example of the notion 'power corrupts' then the President's rally was it. The Chowdhary Brothers Inc. once again blind-folded their leader into the dark well. After all, they are experienced in this since the Supreme court attack in Nawaz Sharif's government.

The way I see it is that, President Musharraf has got limited options. I think that he will eventually move into negotiations with the biggest political party in Pakistan, PPP. But, this will happen only if the Supreme Court shows its strength in the coming weeks. There is a strong belief that the President is still wary of two top judges in the SC. As we all know, more than 70 percent of the top judiciary is against the man who promised so much. I believe that if the Supreme Court keeps its nerve and makes it all the way, then this will go a long way in establishing a system in Pakistan. A system which will also keep these political parties in control which only come forward to achieve their own interests.

Lastly, if the above statements hold true then I believe that one more round of chaos will engulf Karachi in the coming years. But this time the difference will be that it will be final 'cleanup' of those who believe in 'organized chaos.' I am sure that PPP will not repeat its mistakes by leaving the top leadership and killing the brain-washed workers below. The workers below just carry out the orders of their leaders. This leader claims that the people who went against him in the past will face a slow death. But, he forgets that if our agencies are most uncomfortable with someone, then it is him. The same person, who resides in London and is still not able to come back to the city which he rules. Now, this is what i would refer as the 'hollow power.' Let us hope that whatever the case, one day soon the masses of Pakistan which include the Mohajirs, Memons, Sindhis, Pathans, Punjabis and Balochis, and all others are able to come together to bring a real change in the country. If around 20,000 people attended the MQM rally in Karachi and around 80,000 attended the rally in Islamabad then I am sure that it does not even represent 0.1 percent of our country. So all we need is just 1 percent of Pakistan to come out and silence the short-sighted leaders. And like any other Pakistani, I have that unrealized hope.

Another Turnaround

As you all know by now, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has made an un-speculative move by suspending the Supreme Judicial Council's proceedings. It seems like the 'lunch that raised eyebrows' has taken its toll. The opposition seems to be pleased by this unprecedented move but it should also be cautious at the same time. Could this be a move by the government to show the 'independence' of the judiciary before setting up the final verdict against the Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry? Well, only the coming days can tell us the real story.

The other significant development which has occurred is that the hearing will be taking place on daily basis. This may reflect the government's desire to soon get over with the judicial crisis so that there is enough time to campaign effectively for the upcoming elections. This is a positive move for the ruling circles as they would be able to get some sort of breathing space. In fact, if you look at the overall picture, the glass can be viewed as half-full by both the sides; government and opposition. The next few days will be crucial in deciding the fate of not only Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, but also of the evolution of the new-born Pakistan Peoples Party. Benazir Bhutto has taken a very unconventional stance in the last few weeks with regards to her relationship with General Pervez Musharraf. It may be possible that the long awaited honeymoon trip with the General is about to start. This time for the next 10 years, as the President seems to be re-elected comfortably from the current assemblies.

To my view, Pakistan Peoples Party is playing a do or die match in the political arena as they are left with the choice of either losing it all for the next years. As a part of that package, I believe that many Pakistan Peoples Party workers will be disappointed as they have been the ones who have been truly struggling for democracy in Pakistan. This is because the leader of party, Benazir, has been outside the country for quite some time without any real hardships. Therefore, if BB decides to hold back Mr. Makhdoom Amin Faheem for the empth time from becoming the PM then she might be instigating a silent elections within her party. Hence, it is better for BB herself, and the PPP to join hands with the all powerful Musharraf to help him bring a change in the country. As stated earlier in my articles, I strongly believe that we need Musharraf's presence for the progress of Pakistan. But, at the same time I also believe that is high time he changes his team which is right now just a bunch of politicians who are united on one agenda; 'Kursi' - Power.

As a result of all this, the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. are experiencing their most nervous moments since the removal of Nawaz Sharif. They may not be liking the whole idea of sharing power with another party. That too which has been known for its liberal policies which one way or the other coincide with the President's ideology as well. Before, the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. may have had to use less brains to outmanoeuvre the MMA. But, this time the game will be a bit tough as the PPP senior hierarchy is equipped with immense intellectual capabilities. Whatever the case, the next few weeks will be able to project a clearer image for the future of Pakistan. Let us hope that the President makes the right moves. And, for that to happen he will have to interact less with the ruling party members.