November 19, 2006	Sunday	Shawwal 26, 1427

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ISLAMABAD, Nov 18: Painting a bleak and gloomy picture of Pakistani politics and society, renowned human rights activist and UN rapporteur Asma Jehangir called for restoration of democracy, establishment of rule of law and demilitarisation of society to save the country from more polarisation and chaos.

She said human rights and politics were inseparable and stressed the need for linking them to establish a just and peaceful society. “Only masses and civil society can save this nation from complete destruction”, she observed while delivering a lecture on “Pakistan in Transition: Human Rights and Democracy”, organised by Eqbal Ahmed Foundation.

The Foundation invites scholars and human rights activists as guest speakers under its programme “the Eqbal Ahmed Distinguished Lecture” every year. It has so far invited scholars and journalists like Noam Chomsky, Tariq Ali, Kuldip Nayyar and Ahmed Rashid.

Eqbal’s teacher and Quaid-i-Azam Papers’ Editor Dr Zawwar Hussain Zaidi, former Managing Director of Pakistan Television Aslam Asghar and physicist and peace activist Prof Pervez Hoodbhoy were also present.

Ms Jehangir asked President Gen Pervez Musharraf to provide a roadmap for a peaceful exit from power without putting the nation into more trouble. “Otherwise, free and fair elections next year will only remain a dream as has always been in the chequered history of this country”, she said.

Speaking on the role of Pakistan in the so-called war on terror, she said the US and its allies needed a militarised Pakistan with a civilian face capable of playing the role of a frontline state in its war against terrorism.

“This conflict has no geographical boundaries and timeframe and the country is paying a price much higher than what it paid for winning the Cold War for the West against the Soviet Union.”

She said people never tolerated or condoned terrorism. They never wanted a conflict which could enable the so-called “virtuous to have victory over the infidels”. But the General was showing the world as if all Pakistanis, except him, were extremists and that only he could control the situation, she said.

Ms Jehangir said in any serious conflict, there were rules of engagement and respect for domestic and international laws. However, war on terror trampled all such obligations. That was why Pakistan had to hand over hundreds of Al-Qaeda suspect to the US in serious breech of all such international norms, she added.

The justice system of Pakistan was in such a dismal state that now people could only pray and wish for those detained by the ISI and army. The revelation of the defence ministry before the Sindh High Court that intelligence agencies including the ISI were not in its operational command, was a reminder how pathetic the human rights situation in Pakistan was.