Men in Khaki

#148 by zensufi

PIA (having worked there for 5 years) was the only airline in the world which never had to struggle its seats. All its flights were always overbooked depite the grumblings over delays etc. This was because of the inflight service, and a loyal passenger base of overseas Pakistanis. This was also despite PIA being the most expensive on many international routes than its competitors. There was great employee loyalty as well because of generous medical and travel benefits plus job security offered to employees despit a high employee/aircraft ratio and low take-home compensation.

The downfall began in 1980s after the PIA hijack to Kabul by Al-Zulfiqar when PIA was absorbed into the Ministry of Defence instead of being an autonomous corporation, and every retired colonel or wing commander replaced professional managers in departments like stores & purchases, marketing & sales, flight services, flight kitchen, communications, transport etc etc., and the rot began. It was pure loot mar after that. And here we are. PIA is barely being kept afloat as it is the national career. Actually it must be grounded and completely overhauled.

BJ Kumar: Read- Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry here is the info about administering Oath to general Mush! You can actually see the pictures too!

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6462745.stm.

The article is ``Blood and batons spur Pakistan row By Masud Alam
BBC Urdu service, Islamabad Saturday 17th March 2007

Kamath

Hallo - interesting, however... I was hoping to read more about PIA and how the problems can be resolved. Perhaps, nothing to report on that front, given PIA is pretty much ignored now, huh?

-zensufi-

Re: bjkumar # 79

With all due to respect to the author, the article was more an emotional jab than an analysis of the situation in Pakistan and did not really address the basic issues. The unfortunate fallout of the crisis is that once again, we in Pakistan, are making the same mistake of hoisting our hopes on to a pedestal from which they will surely fall once more. The mistake in this case is that the person of the chief justice has been made into a hero and once more, we are wrongly concentrating on the personalities rather than the issues.

This crisis/situation is not about the charges filed against the chief justice of Pakistan or the dismissal of the chief justice himself, but hinge around the very basic constitutional issue about the legality of the reference itself.

The question at stake is who has the right to interpret the law in Pakistan; the judicial or execcutive branch of the government?

In my opinion, this is a unique situation, because the heart of the debate is not about sharia or liberal politics versus religious conservatism, but about consititutional law and within that, about the meaning of the idea of the separation of powers. The unique nature of the situation is that for the first time since 1947, a key political debate in Pakistan is being decided on a purely secular agrument of constitutional law and the issue of justice and not the ideology of Pakistan or the meaning of Pakistan. Whatever the final outcome of the debate, it will address the issues of balance of power and ``check and balances`` within the three branches of government in Pakistan.

Pakistan has a golden and a very rare opportunity, in the shape of the present crisis, to redefine its constitutional compass and to reassert the idea of the separation of powers that was constitutionally discredited by the judiciary itself in its legal decisions, since the 1950s, condoning extra-constitutional acts by the executive branch of the government. The opportunity does not merely come from the chance to revive the dead spirt of constitutionalism in Pakistan, but from the pleasant realization that the debate is being influenced and argued by secularists; educated members of legal community on a secular issue - constitutional law. It is for this very reason that the mainstream political parties or the religious alliance is not in the forefront of this debate and it is because of this very fact, the the politicans in Pakistan cannot use religion to score political points against the government, that this debate has assumed the proportions of pushing Pakistani politics towards a definitive point.

Will it make a difference? Yes; it will but only if the legal community in Pakistan is to able to argue the merits of consitutional issues and keep this debate limited to issues of justice and constitutionalism and does not allow the politicans to hijack this crisis for their own narrow minded interests.

Has anything changed that might a difference in the nature of political power in Pakistan?

Since 1950s, historically, the judiciary in Pakistan has acted in collboration with the executive to undermine the legislative branch but in this crisis, we are witnessing a new realignment of the judiciary with the legislative against the executive. Hence, the ratios of political power in Pakistan have already altered and for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the power of the executive branch has been checkmated.

I cannot answer about the future, but the crisis has already made a difference in Pakistani politics and from thesedifferences, we will see more ripple effects and one of these effects would be now the issue of the supremacy of parliament in Pakistan will have a constitutional momentum which was lacking since the 1950s` dismissal of the Constituent Assemby by the Governor-General of Pakistan.

It will make a difference, because Pakistani politics have turned a corner and whether turn will result in good or bad for the nation is another question. :)

Hope this answers your query.

Ciao

#140, Kamath {``Salim_Chauhan: I say to you too. Take it easy and enjoy the show. You sit here in your comfortable sofa, polish of your whiskey and write between sips! Don`t you?
Enjoy the Tamasha. There is not one little thing you can do to help poor Pakistani brethren!
Wa Salaam! ``}

Kamath Sahib,
Thank you for understanding my feelings. At times like these I wish I was drinking again, but I haven`t touched the soothing nectar of life for almost two years - thanks to my wonderful wife. :) :(

I would enjoy the tamasha, were it not for a real fear of looming bloodshed for my brethren in Karachi.

Walaikum Salaam.

Justice Chaudhary , again, lip-syncing Troggs – ‘Love is All Around’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYDbj_b7ns

In the meantime the real Justice Chaudhary aka Jumping Jack Jeetendra taking time to lip-sync reggae – ‘Jump N Move’ amidst his busy schedule of fighting the bad guys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpU5JAQFLic

Folks,
Did you see Chowk`s own YLH / mantolives at the BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6447215.stm

Kamath sahib, the amazing thing is that ``heroes`` can jump up and grab you - from the unlikeliest of places, when you least expect it, someday, somewhere! (Source: Candid Camera)

Even from among lawyers!

Who would have thought?!!

For crying out loud....

#139 by kamath

[I read recently that the ousted Chief Justice WAS the very person who sworn General Mush to Presidency after the coup. What happened between then and now?]

This BBC news item excerpt provides a clue (the underlining is mine)…

….Which brings us back to how all the trouble started, the presidential move of 9 March, suspending the chief justice of the Supreme Court on charges of misconduct, the details of which are still unspecified.

The fraternity of lawyers has been protesting in all the big cities of Pakistan on a daily basis ever since against what they see as an attempt to humiliate and tame the judiciary.

Making of a hero

Until then, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry had enjoyed a mutually satisfying relationship with the media.

Now the situation has all the marks of turning into a big political challenge for Gen Musharraf and his government

He liked taking centre stage and often delivered his verbal judgments and comments in the form of sound bites that fitted nicely in headlines.

The media liked his penchant for judicial activism on public interest and human rights issues.

Journalists were also hugely entertained by Mr Chaudhry`s habit of passing harsh comments on senior government functionaries and frequently embarrassing them publicly in his court room.

But Justice Chaudhry was no public hero. Not, that is, until the government took action against him.

In the past he was seen very much as a supporter of Gen Musharraf.

Justice Chaudhry was among the half of the Supreme Court judges who validated Gen Musharraf`s 1999 military coup against an elected government. The other judges resigned in protest.

Later, when the general held a referendum to install himself as the president of Pakistan, and the act was challenged in the Supreme Court, Justice Chaudhry was on the bench that decided in favour of the general.

These actions brought him closer to the military rather than the ordinary Pakistani, making him an unlikely champion of people`s aspirations.

Recently as chief justice, he did grab a few headlines with some decisions that have been uncomfortable for the government. But he was never seen as a threat to the legitimacy of Gen Musharraf`s rule.

Black-coats

A simple constitutional matter of referring the country`s most senior judge to be investigated by the appropriate judicial body is getting bigger, nastier, and potentially more dangerous for the present government by the day. And it would appear that it is a problem of the government`s own making.

Essentially, a few hundred lawyers in half a dozen cities was all the opposition amounted to in the beginning.

If they had been allowed to shout slogans and wave their fists in front of courts, that would probably have been the end of the matter.

But local administrations chose to pit their police forces against the protesting lawyers. Bloody scenes in Lahore last Monday unified the lawyers like never before and hardened their stance.

They have taken to the streets again on Saturday. And the police have got their batons out. Result? More blood being spilt, more publicity.

The ``black-coats`` as the lawyers are being affectionately called these days, have never shown this kind of unity, nor this temerity, before.

Even lawyers politically affiliated with the ruling party have refused to toe the party line.

The president`s office has had to bear the embarrassment as one prominent lawyer after another refused to represent its case against Mr Chaudhry.

Re: # 130
Salim_Chauhan: I say to you too. Take it easy and enjoy the show. You sit here in your comfortable sofa, polish of your whiskey and write between sips! Don`t you?.

Enjoy the Tamasha. There is not one little thing you can do to help poor Pakistani brethren!
Wa Salaam!

Kamath

Re: # 125
Nasah:
You say,``..One of those is the Supreme Court, which has a strong record of independence and is looked to by many Pakistanis as a guarantor of the rule of law....``

Now really! I read recently that the ousted Chief Justice WAS the very person
who sworn General Mush to Presidency after the coup. What happened between then
and now?

Anyway, I am really enjoying this whole Tamasha!!



Again you say,``...Gen. Musharraf`s attempt to neuter the court is matched by his implacable refusal to come to terms with Pakistan`s secular democratic political parties and former civilian prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif....``

Let me ask you the question now! Whom would you vote for today?
1) Nawaz Shariff, or 2) Mohattarama Bhutto or 3) the Big General ?

I say take it easy. Wait for the drama to unfold! As far as I am concerned, the sky is not falling. Enjoy the show!

Shalom,

Kamath

LOL


denial


Abuse and

Repetitons...

So whats new...

Bob Woolmer

Innallah-e-wa-Inna elehe Rajyoon ...

May his kind soul rest in eternal peace.

#133, Zeemax {``Yes I`m worried too about Salim...``}

Jeemax,
Don`t worry about me? I am having a great time. The cricket matches and the misbehaving PPP liars in Lahore and Islamabad have given me more entertainment than ever before. When you PPPs can`t debate you start indulging in personal insults. Just worry about the rioting PPP liars and the future of Pakiland. Perhaps you can convince Sun Tani to get married for the sake of pan-Panjuism. :)

When you PPPs have to pay market rates for the gas of Baluchis you might come to your senses. Maybe the Punju Navy and the Afghan Navy can rent pier space at Gwadar from the Baluchis as you inhale their gas. LOL :)

Re: # 123 Fuzair

``Which bit of it would you find convincing?``

Something that backs up your claims of `hater`. I am assuming, of course, that you can distiguish between criticism and hate. There are several luminaries on Chowk who cannot.