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.

The 'Lal Masjid' : An unsolved mystery

July 10th, 2007, was a sad day indeed in the history of Pakistan. It was a day when hundreds of people lost their lives for an unexplained chaos. Being a Pakistani, I feel really sad with the events that took place which not only caused the deaths of our citizens; soldiers and civilians. But, also that it painted Islam in a negative manner. The same Islam for which Pakistan was made.Remember, on 14th August 1947; the birth of this country was on the basis of an 'Islamic Republic of Pakistan.' Yes, it is true that the events which took place somehow reflected otherwise.

There is no justification for using arms in an Islamic Republic to challenge the authority of the government. But, it is also not valid to use force to silent the people who, at the end, were born in the same 'land of the pure';Pakistan. It disheartening to see that we, sometimes, are not able to solve things in a civilized manner. Even though, we are also part of this human civilization. It is indeed, an unexplained mystery.

It is a known fact that the 'Lal Masjid' is based in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan. A city where nothing can be done at such large scale without the approval of the establishment. However, to our disbelief the 'Lal Masjid', unfortunately became an arms depot with tremendous potential. It is easy to turn a blind eye on the reasons which allowed the 'Lal Masjid' to become what it had become. But a few questions need to be answered, if not many.

Being a 'good Pakistani', I will not go into the details of the mystery of the import of guns into the mosque. After all, it is in our 'National Interest' or it is in line with the ideology of 'Sub Say Pehlay Pakistan' - Pakistan comes first - . But, there are other questions which I will ask on behalf of those soldiers' relatives and those civilians' loved ones. Was there a need to make a Pakistani kill a Pakistani ? Yes, there were extremists inside the mosque. I have no second thoughts about it. But, are not these extremists a part of our blood? Are we not proud to be associated with these tribal areas, a part of our country ? Ofcourse, we are. So, then why did all this happen?

If a deal had been reached between Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi at 3 am in the morning, in Islamabad, then what was the issue? Yes, there may have been foreigners inside the mosque. But, a commando operation by the second-most professional unit in the world is meant to save the civilians from the aliens. The foreigners should not be let go if they are involved in any terrorist activities in Pakistan. Yes, I agree with it. But, if a foreigner comes to the country and takes us hostage every now and then, does that mean we keep killing our own people? These civilians also love their country. Yes, they may have different views about the system of Pakistan, but they do love it. And, that is the reason why most of the children and women who came out the mosque stated that they wanted to go back into the mosque. Their views are completely different than what the norm is, or should be. But, we have to stop isolating these people from the system.

This system is so unique, that it allows the entry of some individuals who have cases of murder, financial corruption, kidnapping, and others against them. However, this system is completely against the uneducated people of Pakistan, who believe in another method of solving problems. The uneducated people who have got no other option but to join these madrassas to gain religious education. Even today, around 80% madrassas do not promote hatred against America, or the government of Pakistan. This was implied by our President, General Pervez Musharraf, in his address to the nation last night.So, does that mean we create terror in the minds of our people for that mere 20% percent? The same 'extremists' are our assets when it comes to fighting a silent war against our enemies. The same 'extremists' saved the country's honor in the Afghan war, so that the rest of the people of Pakistan can sleep in peace. The same 'extremists' constitute an immeasurable army unit which can penetrate into any other army in the world. Yes, things have changed after 9/11. Whatever happened at that point in time was the right decision. That is because the survival of Pakistan was at stake. I realize that. But, these people should not have been isolated.

They need to be taken into confidence. Yes, the majority of the people in Pakistan are moderates. But, they are not liberals. Any action against our own people will have its implications. We should not forget that this nation is emotional. On its day, it can create wonders for this country. But, when things are not going right it can also discredit the government with every good thing they may have done. I am afraid that has been the case with Mr. President; General Pervez Musharraf. I have stated earlier in my views, that we need him to stay in power on top of the politicians, before the self-controlling system is established. But, it not easy to maintain your public support in relative to attaining one.

Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi may have known his fate way before the people who were watching the television did. And, his methodology for achieving his goals were also not right. I am sure, that most of the Pakistanis agree with me. In addition, the killing of our respectable commander, Lt. Colonel Haroonul-Islam, was definitely not justified. May his soul rest in peace and may he be blessed in heaven, Ameen. But, it is the responsibility of the government or the leader to provide protection to our citizens. It a basic right of the human race to be protected by their state. Unfortunately, these basics still remain an unrealized dream in our country; which has been in existence for around 60 years.

They say that around 800 coffins have been called by the Army, from the Edhi services. But, the official figures discount that number to nearly its one-tenth. This is what causes immense disturbance in our peoples' minds. This should not happen. After all, no Pakistani would want a child to be dead in an unreasonable war when they were admitted into the mosque only because they were orphans. The orphan who had already been through unimaginable pain when he or she lost its parents in the devastating earthquake of Oct. 2005. What is their crime, except that they were destined to be in that mosque while the operation happened?

At the end, I would just extend my heartiest condolences to all the victims of this unexplained mystery. Be it the brave soldiers of our army, the brainwashed extremists, or the destined children of Pakistan, they all need our prayers. But, it is time that we as a nation learn a lesson from this chaos. We cannot afford more of our soldiers being killed by our own people. We have to get these 'extremists' involved in our system. We need to make them understand by talking with them. For that we need to realize that our national interest is not in line with the interests of America. Yes, we can learn a lot from the world's oldest democracy. But, if everything between us and the Americans was the same, then the 'survival of Pakistan' would not have been under question post-9/11 incident. I hope that the President, General Pervez Musharraf, realizes the need to address the concern of these people. It is extremely important to address these people, rather than the mere spectators - the rest of people - on state television. It is an undeniable fact, that people are most comfortable when they are addressed on a personal level, rather than a public one. In this manner, the issue of personal ego is kept aside.

May Allah give our leaders the strength and our nation the willpower to bring about a change in our vision of using force to address our domestic problems, Ameen. And, we take pride in our armed forces which is the fifth largest unit in the world. Therefore, let us accommodate each other and live in harmony. No other nation should have the right to judge our actions, because they will never understand this vibrant nation. The nation which, undoubtedly, harbors the people with the most potential in this world. Pakistan Zindabad.

The 'Lal Masjid'

After months of agitation, things picked up for both the 'Lal Masjid' and 'Maulana', or should I say 'Aunty' Abdul Hafiz. The pictures which show Abdul Hafiz leaving in a burqa were not only detrimental to the image of Pakistan, but also to the image of Muslims all across the world. Being a Pakistani, I believe that any Pakistani Muslim has been ashamed with the manner in which the 'Maulana' escaped the mosque. In addition, when he was stopped by the officials his 'sahaylees' (colleagues) requested not to check their 'Aunty' which was 'elderly and sick.' It is a shame for anyone who supports this cause of 'Lal Masjid' to have their leader being caught in a runaway attempt with 40 other ladies. As if, it was not enough that he was using the women and children as his shield for the last one week.

It is extraordinary to many that these fanatics inside the mosque were equipped with latest ammunition, for which the rangers posted at the location may be jealous. Well, to me this is not a surprise when it is known that our Minister for Religious Affairs, Ejaz Ul Haq bailed the 'Aunty' from jail during Musharraf's reign. Now that Chowdhary Shujaat Hussain has talked to the 'Aunty' in the last one hour, it seems that there is more to it than what meets the eye. I believe that the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. never intervene in anything related to a crisis, unless there is a personal interest for them. It is a known fact that during Nawaz Sharif's government, the 'Aunty' was involved in similar activities of gathering ammunition at the mosque for their so called 'Jihad.'

It is believed that the younger brother, Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi, is a less hardliner than his elder brother, Maulana Abdul Hafiz. However, he is leading the struggle now ever since his brother's departure from the 'Lal Masjid.' I believe that there is a hostage-like situation within the 'Lal Masjid' which prompted the Chowdhary to intervene. Maulana Abdul Rashid Ghazi has stated that his 'companions' will not accept the offer of the government to keep him and his mother under a house arrest. instead of keeping them in a jail. However, this deal would have worked both ways considering Maulana Abdul Aziz's half-hearted devotion to bringing Shariah law in Pakistan. I can say that with assurance because it is reported that Maulana Abdul Aziz was on the verge of bringing a coup when his elder brother decided to use the women and children as hostage before the operation. However, ever since the arrest of his elder brother things should have moved faster in the right direction. But, instead this same brother has decided to become a hardliner, even though his brother was planning an exit from the whole drama. After, the confirmation from various sources that foreign militants are also residing in the mosque it seems that there is more at stake. Ever since the proposal of the house arrest for the leader and his mother, things have started to become more black & white. The government has only offered softness to the top leadership, while not showing any concern about the other militants inside. If the leader at the moment, Maulana Abdul Rashid, decides to abandon he may face a serious threat of being killed himself. The foreigners residing in the mosque would know that they will be dealt with harshness once the Maulana and his mother are given a safe passage.

But, this is where the main question arises. In a country where countless have been made scapegoats to make a successful story, why not Maulana Abdul Rashid. Why so much hesitation to carry out a full-fledge operation? The paramilitary forces, rangers, and the police have been deployed since the last 3 days equipped with immense firepower. The reason lies somwhere else. As stated earlier, Chowdhary Shujaat does not involve himself in any crisis unless he has got a personal interest. Considering the bailout of the Maulana by Ejaz Ul Haq during this government, it seems like both the Chowdhary and Zia Ul Haq's son are on the same side of the coin. In addition, it is evident now that it is not Maulana Abdul Rashid calling the shots. But, the other militants who are more fanatic than the Maulana, as they have come from a foreign land for this cause. If the government want they can easily order a commando operation to secure the few militants in the mosque. Now, we know that there are children in the mosque which have been taken hostage in this hour. But, the efforts are moving towards the securing of Maulana Abdul Rashid who is the 'official' leader at the moment. The Maulana has stated very clearly that his companions do not accept a solution in which he is given a safe passage, along his mother. But, why need to care about the Maulana so much in a country where many wrongs have been done to make a right? There is an interest of some influential elements in the ruling PML-Q which are taking this issue in another direction, when on the surface they state that they are only doing this to secure the innocent children in the mosque. Once again, this high level of sympathy for the children is rare considering the fate of the storm-affected people of Balochistan. No concern of such depth was shown in that matter where children of similar age, with higher numbers have been marooned over the last few weeks.

To conclude, I can say with a lot of conviction that there is a link involved between the Maulana brothers and the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. It may not be clear at this point in time due to various reasons. In addition, Musharraf has handled the situation in an impressive manner with regards to yesterday's events with hundreds of people surrendering. However, the President is also using the 'hot n cold' tactic to manage the other political issues, such as of Chief Justice and the trouble in other parts of the country. But, while he is doing that for his own benefit as well he needs to be aware of the actions of the Chowdhary Brothers Inc. which are once again using their political cards to gain some sort of mileage. Let us hope that, indeed, the least number of innocent people are killed in this drama. And, the culprits are brought to justice.

Islamabad - the new Karachi ?

It has been nearly 60 years since we gained independence from the British only to seek shelter in the American Empire. Ever since Pakistan has been created, it has been marred by several controversies. A country whose founder, Quaid E Azam - Mohammad Ali Jinnah, passed away in ambiguous circumstances certainly started things on a wrong note. There is no doubt in my mind that God has been extremely generous to us in providing us this homeland. In comparison to the uncertainty which prevails for Muslims across the border, we are definitely blessed.

Today, Islamabad International Airport was the target of another suicide bomber. Until now, it is confirmed that 3 security forces personnel have been injured; a policemen, ASF jawan, and an elite police commando. I hope that they recover to their best of health as early as possible. Once again, our brave men averted a major disaster by risking their own lives to save the people of Pakistan. However, how long will these innocent guardians of our country give their blood for an unjustified chaos? If there is anyone after God who knows the answer for that then it has to be the man at the helm of the affairs, President General Pervez Musharraf.

Ever since our decision to side with America in their 'war on terror' our security forces have been regular victims of this chaos. I believe that our decision to side with America may have been the need of the hour. But if there is anything I completely disagree with, it is the manner in which we sided with them. It is like if someone asks you for the way to some place and you end up guiding him to your own house. It is not the issue that this someone ended up at your place but it is an issue when this someone is looking for a place which he can burn with people inside the house. The other problem is that the actions by this someone, American Government, are not in conformity with the members of the house, people of America. Today, our security forces are fighting against our own people for an unknown cause. A Pakhtun is killing his own Pakhtun brother. I really do not believe that this what our father of the nation dreamt of.

I really hope wholeheartedly that President Musharraf soon realizes the danger of this silent war. This bomb may have not killed as many people to classify itself as one of the greatest attacks in history. But, these attacks are definitely echoing the sounds of disharmony amongst the people of Pakistan. Even the terrorists who lay these bombs were once our unregistered fighters who would sacrifice anything to protect this country.

At the end, no person in this world is good or bad. In fact, it is how that person is in relative to the subject.