At about 8pm yesterday people started closing down their shops and running helter skelter as if some kind of godzilla was approaching. Being at risk myself I had to do the needful and as I stepped out into my car and started driving home I could feel nothing but total disgust at how people were behaving.
Strangely the white wardi ones had all dissipated and traffic was utter chaos as everyone tried to get home before the landmark decision took place. Which was about 5.6 hrs late but right on pakistan standard time for aren’t we used to waiting for everything? From Vip blocks to justice to KESC. We wait so much that I think we should be called the masses in waiting instead of the teeming masses.
As colleagues and friends rang each other up and vicious rumors circulated of a coup, people had to cancel all sorts of plans amidst tension as it gripped Karachi. There were reports of firing in different areas of the city (perhaps a pressure tactic) and people were frightened out of their wits on the memory of another December not so long ago.
The judgment which declared the NRO null and void and opened up all the defunct cases (about 8000 of them) on all the political bigwigs is being called a historic one. I agree on the fact that there is no precedence of this in legislative history. However there are some points which trouble me in the extreme regarding this judgment. These will not include the behavior of the media as was exhibited last night, it seemed as if they were within sight of Valhalla complete with war drums, anyways..
a) The legislative branch of our government has right now with this judgment directed the executive branch to prosecute itself. How is this going to be implemented? I know the courts will be fair but how will the executive survive this open all organs surgical strike?
b) Let us for a moment assume that even half the cases are based on solid evidence and the absconders and the corrupt will be convicted. Do we realize that when this happens we will lose about the entire power structure of the current serving democratic government? I am not against trying corrupt people but where will this leave the democracy in this country. Yes it could lead to something positive like the better and cleaner individuals rising up through party cadres to lead us forward but that would happen in an ideal world only, the options here would be mid term or coup.
c) If mid term elections happen, the rumors say somewhere around march we will definitely see a return of PML N to power. Now do we want a prime minister who we have tried twice in the past and who is not even capable of exhibiting enough leadership to stay in the bloody country when this landmark judgment was taking place? He left for London days ago, so is this guy going to lead us into the future?
d) Let us also not ignore the fact that with 8000 cases opened up the legislative is going to have a field day in legal fees and what not. Yes the “what not” does exist in the legislative branch also and they will now plunder with impunity. Every citizen of Pakistan is aware of the fixers/penguins who roam our city courts, who can get you a judgment on the passing of a few qaid azams quicker then the law firms sometimes. So we are now penalizing one branch of the government for corruption and the branch judging it is now going to indulge in the same to get us justice? What kind of process is this. Please note I am not referring to the SC judges we see on TV, but there are many many black sheep in the judicial fraternity and our erstwhile judges have spoken and admitted to them often.
After all is said and done and we have torn apart this government, gone to mid term elections and arrived at the same cross roads in say another year or two at most, we must ask ourselves is democracy the best system for Pakistan?
If it is then why does it never work for us?
Do you have a fan page for yourself on Facebook man? Cuz I’d like to join. 😉
I wonder how they plan on prosecuting all those people. They certainly wont be getting a speedy trial. 8000 people will require a lot of time and resources. Planning a trial takes a long time and its gonna take light years to get through all the case loads. I fail to understand why no one makes a big deal about NS. FOr some reason everyone is suffering from selective amnesia when it comes to him. Why is the media not highlighting the fact that he isn’t a saint? What happened to all those pending court cases against him? Doesn’t anyone remember what happened to the Supreme Court in the 90s? If NS were in power he would be dancing to the tunes of the US administration. I am not a Zardari fan but it’s unfair of the media to target just one person. They should target all the felons.
I cannot agree less… but then do we really need democracy to lead us forward? Yes, we do… but then the leadership MUST be among the masses, and not the ones who have always capitalized on their state, and plundered all that is that this nation has to show. Unfortunately, we have not yet learned how to understand the minds of people. We should do that first, and the media if it is acting as a neutral communication platform, should engage itself in helping turn this country around on the right foot from now onwards… and not go after ridiculing everyone else.
western notions of democracy in pakistan is a failure.. we only need danda so let the army come in and have pesudo democrats or technocrats running da show
Let me guess.. army will be back to power?
Nawaz does not understand what he has supported and his people are “Trying” to build pressure for resignation, when they know that as soon as the cases will be tried, it will be PML-N that will be exposed left and right! This is the end of PML-N leadership, as there a lot on them which will start coming out now.
Ty all for your comments, the point i tried to make was this
With all the country is going through with no one as much as casting an eye towards the missing persons cases..is this the right time to do what the SC did? I am not in favor of corruption or of not trying people as they should be..but 8000 cases like shobz said takes a hell of a lot of resources.. what of the people serving false time because no one is ready to take their cases up…tareekhon pe tareekhen parti hain bas..where is there mention of the many many businessmen who have benefited from the nro..where is the list of those defaulters who looted public money in the karachi stock exchange??
Ty Sawj u have been with this blog from the start…i have a page for it on face book by the same name “deadpan thoughts”
very interesting coverage… however, can someone tell how a common Pakistan will be effected right away: the common persons problems are:
1. day to day earnings, (roti -> khana)…
2. shelter/security, (kapra & makan)…
3. education… (parhaee)…
its amazing that our educated lot are falling in for the NOISE these people want us to follow not the real ground realities…
“is democracy the best system for Pakistan?
If it is then why does it never work for us?”
democratic system takes time to tinker u impatient dum ass !
wine wine wine … complain this complain that … try patience for a change … look at recent U.S. history if you may … DEMOCRACY TAKES TIME – its not like all those fixer uppers our army has been giving us all the time.
also, have you ever seen democracy at work ? – I guess not, because you, like me, are an unfortunate Pakistani – but this is changing, let it … don’t wine abt it
FAISAL K 8000 CASES AND TEH HUGE AMOUTN DOESNT MEAN WE LET THE CORRUPT PEOPLE GO SCOT FREE… I AM SORRY I DONT AGREE.. EVEN IF THERE ARE 80000 CASES THEY SHOULD BE TRIED… AND REGARDING SPEED OF JUSTICE IF SHARIAT COURTS CAN GIVE DECISIONS IN 3 DAYS OUR COURTS CAN ALSO SPEED UP TEH PROCESS
THAT SAID I AGREE THAT MISSING PERSONS AND OLD CASES OF PEOPLE LYING PENDING FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS SHOULD BE EXPEDITED
@tayyab.. so karo na try kyn nahi karta koi try???
Baton se kia hoga…try everyone responsible…but cases should not have political priority which is what is happening here.
why doesn’t someone expose te actual sharks.. the businessmen who fund these politicians and then make illegal gains by their political connections why doesn’t someone speak of the stock exchange and what happened there?
Although, very well written, this article has some alternatives which are far from reality. Granted that Zardari is ousted and mid term election takes place (revisiting the era of Benazir-Nawaz musical chair game of 80s-90s), to be honest Nawaz Sharif is popular leader of North Punjab as Altaf Hussain is popular leader of South Sind. If elections are manipulated by powers that be behind the curtain,the consequences would be more disasterous than the after effects of previous manipulations in nineties.
Lastly, one more military governmen and we are four pieces.
It never works for us because we never let it work for us. Democracy is a tree which will not start giving your fruit or a shade right there and then. It will take its time and the more time we give it the larger the shade will grow and the stronger it will get.
But we want results overnight. As you mentioned the “Ideal World”. I believe even if we get into that from today, and every module of our system starts working the way it should in the so called ideal world, it will even then take us at the least three generations to reach up to the mark of first world country. But thats again is very hypothetical and the wish list grows !!!
Not to forget, even American democracy is not “ideal”