Shaheryar Akbar March 20, 2007

Tags: protest , revolution , people , nation , political awareness , justice , pakistan , students

href="/tag/doubt">doubt the past few weeks have been some of the darkest, most cruel, most disturbing of Pakistan’s recent history. But the beauty of life, of history, is that some of the most glorious acts, some of the brightest manifestations of human greatness take place precisely in moments of utter despair, hopelessness, infinite darkness. As I look back at the way my people have responded, have risen, have chosen to express their voices, have firmly gripped their destiny and that of their nations’ into their hands, have pledged to uphold the fundamental principles upon which any civilized society is based no matter what the cost, I am filled with sublime hope.

A nation is like a person. It must die to be resurrected. When President Musharraf “suspended” the Chief Justice, and in the process quite clearly violated his constitutional right and explicitly undermined the independence of the judiciary, I admitted that my nation had just been killed. Pakistan was dead. My people would so quickly bring it back to life, though, I had never imagined! Just when I thought my people would once again silently ignore this new form of oppression, and resign themselves to a fate written by politicians and generals, they responded! They awoke! They said in one voice, “enough is enough!” I have never been prouder to be a Pakistani! My people are alive, their hearts are pounding, their voices are rising, their dreams are soaring, and their cause is victorious! The political maturity that the people have shown has taken me by surprise. You expect such understanding of events and their consequences from students of political science or history. But maybe that’s just because I’m only aware of the illusion of knowledge. Maybe oppression and tyranny are understood best by those you suffer it.

This matter transcends peoples, parties, boundaries, ethnicities, and religious affiliations. This is a matter of principles; universal principles. It is about justice, its respect, and its freedom. How quickly my people have come to realize the exact composition of this problem, and have so bravely acted! My heart is full of respect and admiration for the lawyers, their conscience, their unity, their perseverance, and their concern. Along with them, I must acknowledge our brave journalists. The way they have worked day and night against increasing governmental pressure to accurately inform the citizens is a lesson for our American counterparts! An indication of how far the military mentality has seeped into the conscience of the people can be gauged by the admiration given to the armed forces. National songs speak of their bravery and valor. Videos praising Pakistan are plastered with soldiers marching, of tanks blazing through desert sands, of ships carving through oceans, of fighter planes conquering the skies. Indeed they are brave. But so much braver are the lawyers and journalists of today out on the streets firmly standing against an onslaught of state terror! All they have are their words, their pens, their minds, and their principles. But if history is to be believed, than that is all they’ll ever need. A society is nothing without justice and freedom. They are the pillars upon which greatness is built. People fighting for these principles with the truth of their hearts and sincerity of their convictions are the true defenders of their nation. And I salute them!

I have one concern though. Something great has begun in our nation. A storm unlike I have ever seen blows through the streets of our cities and the hearts of our people. But will this subside into nothingness, and leave only memories once it is over. I fear that it may. I hope for more! If the Chief Justice is vindicated, which I’m sure he will be considering the tremendous pressure upon the government, will the lawyers, journalists, and civil society go back to their lives as if nothing ever happened? Will the dust settle down after a week or two, will laws of nature force us back to our inactive states, will be once again loose control of our lives and destinies? Or will we continue pushing, continue demanding, continue rising, continue soaring until our unfulfilled dreams are reached? As I said before this issue transcends peoples. This is not about President Musharraf or Chief Justice Chaudhry. It is about the principles that our forefather fought and died for, our predecessors sacrificed their lives and dreams for us so that we may one day live a life devoid of tyranny. That our human spirit may blossom in the bosoms of justice and liberty! That we may never have to experience the weight of chains; the burden of shackles! That we may unleash the power of human creativity and activity to achieve immortality!

The government says that the actions it took were according to the Pakistani constitution. I don’t know if I’m reading the same document they are. According to the constitution available on the Pakistan government’s website, Article 209 does not give the president any authority to “suspend” the Chief Justice. Whether the allegations against Justice Chaudhry are true or not is beside the point. There is a due legal process according to which his innocence was to be determined, which the president so conveniently bypassed. Of course, the manner in which the Chief Justice was dismissed and the events that followed don’t have to be repeated here. That in a country a military general orders the Chief Justice to come to his headquarters and forces him to resign; that the government then puts the Chief Justice under complete house arrest along with his family; that the police mistreats him and his wife is disgusting and completely unacceptable! But let us examine the crux of this issue.

Apparently the Chief Justice has been accused of abuse of power and misconduct. It may very well be true, but equally so if not more for the President, the Prime Minister, and an endless list of other government officials. However, please do forgive me for my skepticism. You see, I have a very hard time believing governments. Being from Pakistan has tarnished my faith in politicians and generals! It all seems very convenient for our president to dismiss our Chief Justice at such a crucial period. Elections were to be held later this year. I would feel naïve if I ignored the cases that the Chief Justice was hearing and investigating and did not link them to his dismissal. I maybe wrong. But governments are very predictable when they start struggling to maintain authority and power. I won’t even mention the all too well known Pakistan Steel Mills privatization ruling, which irked none other than our Prime Minister and quite openly accused him of corruption! I feel, however, that two more important cases have brought about the current crisis. The first concerns our military ruler himself. The President, as we all know, wants another five years to continue with his reforms. In order to get re-elected he needed the backing of the Supreme Court and a constitutional mandate justifying his second term in office. The Chief Justice was not convinced as to the legality of Musharraf’s dual positions – that of President and Chief of Army Staff. All indications were that the Chief Justice would not support Musharraf’s constitutional claim to a second term. But of course I could be mistaken! Maybe the Chief Justice does abuse power!

The second case, however, is even more serious and severe. The Chief Justice really out did himself. He went on a head on collision course with the most powerful institution within Pakistan – the ISI. Ever since the War of Terror started the powerful state institutes in many countries have quite discreetly been flexing their muscles. Any voice of dissent is forever silenced. George Orwell’s 1984 lurks in the shops and corners of Pakistan’s cities and towns. Innocent people are detained, tortured, traumatized, and forever silenced. Some brave souls have dared to openly tell their stories. At first it seems all too surreal. In Pakistan?! No! But when reality takes the place of denial, anger and shock numb the cosmos. How can we live in such a brutal, barbarian society? The Chief Justice was investigating the reports of disappearances, and exposing the ISI’s actions. The ISI doesn’t like to be exposed, however. But the Chief Justice is accused of abusing power, so I maybe wrong!

The flaws within our society are truly becoming visible as this crisis proceeds. Just how dysfunctional our state is evident from the fact that police attacked the offices of GEO TV and The News and the government didn’t even know! Shows are being censored, voices are being silenced, people are being tortured, justice is being arrested, and freedom is being shackled! The holes within this government’s fabric are too exposed to be ignored. President Musharraf innocently proclaims that he’s blamed for everything. Well if he’s going to take credit for all the good things, he should have the guts to take credit for the bad things too!

As a student, I would like to make one final request to my fellow comrades and peers. It is time that the educated people of our society started taking a more active role in the affairs of our nation. The youth need to get more involved, more concerned, and more vocal. Our futures are at stake! These bearded mullahs, corrupt politicians, and authoritarian generals will continue to fight for power disregarding the consequences of their actions on subsequent generations. We will have to suffer the carnage they leave behind! What we need right now is a fair, free, and open trial of Chief Justice Chaudhry. But even before that he needs to be reinstated, because from the outset his suspension was illegal and unconstitutional! If he is found innocent according to a free, fair, and open trial than we need to support the Chief Justice, his cause, and make sure he gets to the bottom of the cases that he was investigating. . We need to hold the government accountable for its actions including the attack by the government on its own population in the form of kidnappings and tortures! I urge my friends and fellows to stand up and become active participants! Become aware! Show your solidarity with the lawyers and journalists.

Following the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, they have shown that these are indeed good times. Great times even. If we can’t be concerned enough to stand up for justice and liberty, than we deserve tyranny and servitude! Pressurize the government! Get students together and hold protests and rallies! Write in newspapers, write to ministers, and write to other citizens! Those in power base their power on the ignorance of the masses. Destroy the ignorance; you destroy the very foundations upon which those in power stand! Never before have I seen such clarity as to the stand that must be taken at such a crucial time! We need to send a clear message to the government and all other politicians that Pakistan is a country for the people! It is a country rooted in universal principles, the violation of which will never be tolerated! This is a time when a shining precedent can be forever etched into the history of our nation. It is a time that may very well be remembered as that juncture in Pakistan’s history when the people rose like fire and thunder and valiantly chose freedom over enslavement; forever preferred justice over tyranny!