By Kamran Shafi
Tuesday, 04 Aug, 2009



We must acknowledge here and now, the dedication of ordinary lawyers, many of them giving up regular work so that they could join the protests across the country. —Photo by Reuters

Well then, there go Dogar And Company Ltd., and all those who attended them hand and foot: the Pirzadas, the Ranjhas, the Durranis, the Maliks and the Chaudhries, the last of whom would have elected the Commando president in uniform 20 more times. Gone with just one sagacious judgment of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

There go Khosa and Awan and Naek, who so misled the leadership of their party with their too-clever-by-half formulations and excuses; and the too talkative and abrasive Fauzia Wahab who always shot off at the mouth. Whilst these four are nobodies, it is the People’s Party that looks emasculated and worn from the drubbing that the Commando and his antics of Nov 3, 2007 got from their lordships on Friday, July 31, 2009.

What astounded me as a firm opponent of outside (read army and ‘agencies’) influence on our country’s politics was the utter abandon with which these above-named played silly little games with a great evolving situation: that of sworn enemies, the PPP and the PML-N, coming together on one platform when Benazir and Nawaz Sharif signed the Charter of Democracy.

What a high that was! Specially for one such as I who saw at close quarters the bitter enmity between the two parties over the last quarter century, made worse by the machinations of the ‘agencies,’ particularly the ‘premier’ agency, aka the Mother of All Agencies. One thought all of that was to be left behind; that the country would now go on to a brighter tomorrow with civilised politics taking the place of bitterness and acrimony. But no: would Khosa, Naek, Awan, Wahab and company allow that?

Be which as it may, I can only hope and pray that better sense prevails even now; and that constitutional adjustments are made even at this late stage, with both large parties forming a joint front against the ‘outside’ forces despite stiff opposition from hardliners in both.

It is extremely important, indeed imperative, that despite everything, President Asif Zardari and Mr Nawaz Sharif take another step towards making up after Asif Zardari’s visit to Raiwind. They both must realise that Pakistani democracy is young, very young even now, and that it is only they who can help it to walk. The Supreme Court’s seminal judgment has been a great vindication for, among so many others, my family and I who, whenever time permitted since we do not live in Islamabad the Beautiful, joined those who daily protested the dismissal, first of My Lord the Chief Justice on March 9, and then of 62 other judges of the superior judiciary on Nov 3, 2007.

There we used to be, standing outside the Supreme Court holding placards and shouting slogans and getting much amused at ‘agency’ thugs, mainly ‘premier agency’ thugs, taking videos and photographs of the same faces every day. My little Zainab used to be tired after the drive from Wah and a whole day at school, and could barely keep her eyes open as she stood there on the pavement. She screamed out loud when the news first broke that Nov three had been ruled unconstitutional and illegal. ‘Yesss,’ she said in this new jargon that the young use these days. I had tears in my eyes.

We must acknowledge here and now, the dedication of ordinary lawyers, many of them giving up regular work so that they could join the protests across the country. I know a couple of young lawyers who practise in Hasanabdal and Taxila, and was touched to see them arrive at whatever was the venue of the protest in wagons and other public transport.

A word to acknowledge the exertions of the CCP Lahore, too, so ably and well led by Hamid Zaman. I was with them in Lahore the day of the long march and much admire the dedication of the members of this great organisation. My tribute would not be complete if I did not specifically mention Begum Riaz Sami who was there, on The Mall, amid the teargas, sitting on a chair because she could not stand for much time. The Sami’s were neighbours of ours when we lived in Mayfair Courts, Lahore; the late Mian sahib later going to Rome and London as Pakistan’s ambassador and high commissioner respectively.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, there were more. Agatha Christie wrote a much-sold crime thriller And then there were none; here in Pakistan we have to say ‘And then there were more’ (well, actually three). For, instead of one Mullah Radio aka Terrorist Fazlullah spreading the message of hate and rancour and death over the airwaves, we now have two more. These beauties are Maulvi Ikramullah who, according to credible reports, delivers regular Friday sermons at Bagh Masjid, Bank Road, Mardan; and Maulvi Malakpuri who infests Palai Sherkhani in Malakand. What’s up, ISPR?

We were told, until we got tired of the lies, that Fazlullah would soon be caught because the Pakistan Army had at long last imported the technology to locate broadcasting transmitters … well where is the technology now that we need it on Bank Road, Mardan Cantonment?! In the event, neither the terrorist Fazlullah, nor any of his murderous cohorts have been apprehended. Our Rommels and Guderians are quite obviously up to no good, helped in no little way by the incredibly stupid announcements coming from high American officials to the effect that the American people are getting tired of the Afghan war even before Obama’s ‘surge’ has begun.

Aha, our Rommels and Guderians say, when the Americans leave we use our strategic assets: Fazlullah and Friends; so keep ‘em safe. Not forgetting Baitullah Mehsud with whom yet another peace deal is in the works: you don’t attack government troops and installations, we let you be.

Well, what about the hundreds of innocent Pakistanis the terrorist has admittedly killed through suicide bombings? Do they figure nowhere in the scheme of things hatched by our brass hats? Does rank foolishness have no bounds?