Where's the news?

Re: # 2
Let me make one thing clear here. Political workers coming in to greet their leader returning from exile and that too with full facilitation of state does not mean a political movement with roots in masses. If Musharraf regime wants to stop this gathering you will see no thousands of people in the streets of Karachi. Mind you Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto was the most popular leader and he was hanged. Tell me how many people came out in protest and yet they flocked to the airport in millions when his daughter came back in 1986. The difference was that Junejo regime allowed PPP to gather and welcome their leader. Now again since the daughter of the East has done a deal with Musharraf regime, her arrival has full state support. If you are a Karachite just see all those banners etc. There is some Nora Kushti kind of opposition from CM Sindh but thats it.

I am not a pro Nawaz Sharif person but the fact is that thousands of his workers were arrested before his arrival and entire area around airport was sealed. No gathering was allowed to take place at all and Mr Sharif himself was forced on another plane. If Musharraf regime wants to stop PPP workers from going to airport, let me assure you it would be able to. After all Zia regime prevented people from coimng out when Zulifiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged and what could be more significant than that.


bbrought in through state sponsorship

#1 "People now do not come to streets the way they used to."

You should check out the number of people lining up to greet Benazir in Karachi, Skep. :) The media was asuming otherwise, and had predicted a big reception for Nawaz Sharif instead and which never came.

The movement by the lawyers was a movement for their own institution and at its peak it was powerful enough to force the introduction of PEMRA ordinance as well as what happened on 12th May. Just because you do not agree with the objectives does not mean that it was a mere media construct. And whats wrong with the objectives of the movement. At the fundamental level it aims at making juduiciary independent organ. Seperation of organs and creation of effective checks and balances is one of the foremost tenanats of liberalism.

Mere media constructs do not lead to incidences like 12th May and forceful stoppage of media coverage. Yes you can argue that the movement has lost its steam or that after 20th July's verdict people have not come to the street but this is basically because lawyers started to overstep their boundaries and started raising questions about issues that belonged to political realm. The problem with certain journalists like you is that you have started to equate Musharraf with liberalism in Pakistan and any threat to his regime is treated as a threat to liberalism in Pakistan. The major reason behind this is perhaps because the entire opposition to Musharraf constitutes of religous right and you fear that his ouster may bring these forces in Pakistan.

When that movement was at its peak you were calling it a mere media show and now you are calling it failed media construct without any roots in the masses. It was to begin with not a mass movement, it was a movement by the lawyers mainly to discipline their own institution. As it gathered pace, it started to have some support from political parties as well. The movement still has a strong support of lawyers though you can argue that it does not have a visible support of masses. But for that matter during the past twenty years, what movement has mass support. People now do not come to streets the way they used to.