| April 20, 2008 | Sunday | Rabi-us-Sani 13, 1429 |
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Earth-shaking? No.
EACH morning those of us lucky enough to be part of the minority literate of this land, addicted to the perusal of the morning newspapers, look out for fresh or renewed vows and pledges made by the neo-democrat duly elected representatives currently occupying the power seats. We are seldom shaken to the core, nor do we feel the earth move beneath our feet.
Take yesterday’s papers, what did we learn? The foreign minister, once of the PML-N who later transferred himself to the PPP, on Friday “assured the National Assembly [that] the present government would show wisdom and self-respect in its foreign and defence policies…” That same day, reportedly, “United States drones resumed their flights in North Waziristan…. The same planes were also reportedly flying towards South Waziristan and the Mehsud tribal areas….”
Front-page news was devoted to the sayings of senior Taliban leader, Maulvi Faqir. He has clearly and unambiguously stated that “the removal of President Pervez Musharraf, a review of the country’s foreign policy, and enforcement of Sharia law in the Tribal Areas are required for lasting peace…” He was also clear on the fact that “Islam comes first, then Pakistan.” The Taliban have uttered; so be it.
There were actually two bits of good news to come to us yesterday. Firstly, we have in the Supreme Court the matter of the ridiculous graduation qualification that is required for those aspiring to be elected to the assemblies. For once, the attorney-general of Pakistan is pleading on behalf of the people of Pakistan. This requirement must go. It disenfranchises 97 per cent of our voting population (of the entire 175 million population we have 1.4 per cent who are graduates). It is plainly wrong and discriminatory. We must hope that the court sees its way clearly.
We must also hope that young Shehla Raza, deputy speaker of the Sindh Assembly, is well clued up on the intentions of her party. She told participants at a training workshop on Friday in Karachi that the Pakistan People’s Party will repeal the discriminatory Hudood Ordinances. This is truly good news, if there be truth and intent in it.
On April 16, the federal government declared, via the interior ministry, that it is henceforth mandatory to obtain prior permission before holding any rally or public meeting. Two days later, an email arrived from a citizen of Pakistan which opened up:
“Although no rational and reasonably informed citizen of Pakistan expects much from this new government — it is fast proving itself to be actually worse than the Q-League. Perhaps the most outrageous resolution or law I have ever heard of is being proposed (or perhaps it has already been passed) these days. I refer to the measure which will require registration and permission to hold a rally or public gathering three days in advance from the government.”
Now, one must surmise that the writer is a street fighter, car burner, bank looter, who relies on brawn. How can it be explained to such individuals that we are trying to become a democracy in which differing views can openly be discussed. But, if we aim to protest as they do in Britain (‘the mother of democracies’) we may end up doing what is done in Zimbabwe.
Years ago in London, on a cold crisp morning, as I was waiting to cross Park Lane my path was blocked by a procession of men and women, not carrying sticks and stones, walking in a crocodile. They were protesting about the faulty National Health Service. One young woman handed me a leaflet and politely asked if I would like to join in. I did.
We walked in orderly fashion up Constitution Hill, along the Mall, through Admiralty Arch to the corner of Downing Street. One of the few unarmed bobbies accompanying us asked us to wait. He went with the man carrying the petition to the door of No.10 which opened at a gentle knock and the petition was handed in. That was the end of a peaceful demo. No cars or buildings were burnt, no shops looted, no guns fired, no one lay dead or injured.
Rallies and demos are held regularly in Trafalgar Square. Thousands gather, fiery speeches are made, the people hear, then go home. Not a single pane of a single shop window is smashed.
Can one imagine such a rally, or such a demo, being held in the republic that is now Pakistan? Forget about present-day rallies and processions in this highly charged atmosphere, where hatred and violence are in abundance, let us look back to 1977, somewhat gentler days.
Lawyer Nizam Ahmed, the then president of the Karachi Bar Association (later a judge of the Sindh High Court) led a procession against Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. It started at the Bar Association, went up M.A. Jinnah Road against the traffic, up to the Sindh High Court where the protesters were confronted by a line of armed police, army soldiers and paramilitaries of the Federal Security Force. The marchers had been warned, under the threat of being shot, not to approach the Sindh Assembly building. They ignored the warning and the guns, and proceeded up the Assembly road, to the Secretariat barracks and then returned to the High Court where they delivered their resolution. All was accomplished without rowdyism, violence or shooting. (Nizam and his son were murdered during the era of the second Benazir Bhutto government. Asif Zardari was implicated and the murder case lingered in our courts until he was let off by a court of law.)
Former ‘bad boy’ Rehman Malik has now become an unelected monitor and given charge of the interior ministry. I am on his side as far as the matter of prior permission for rallies and public meetings is concerned. The people are tired of having their properties burnt or otherwise destroyed, their cars burnt and wrecked, their relatives and friends shot dead or maimed and injured. They look for peace and an end to violence.
Those who will be given interior ministry permission to march or speechify should be responsible men who will be held accountable for the conduct of the ‘mob’ they lead or gather and, if things go wrong, the law should be applied, the permission-seekers and rowdies arrested and duly punished. Those opposed to Rehman Malik’s edict may file a petition and lodge a protest with Zardari. For the sake of peace, more power to his elbow.
arfc@cyber.net.pk
