THE hospitalisation of a prominent person in the dock is a diversion not entirely unknown to this country. Yet, on Thursday, the latest episode in the long-running tradition stood out for many reasons. It came at a juncture when most Pakistanis think that, after having invested heavily in democracy and the rule of law, they must now begin to reap some dividends of their labour. Retired Gen Pervez Musharraf had set the stage with his theatrical hand-on-heart vows just days before he was to appear in court. He had resorted to bravado in his effort to invoke the image of a diehard commando who was ready to fall but unwilling to bow before his persecutors. He appeared to have arranged his cards well, reminding everyone of his relationship with the army and hitting the target in his riposte to some politicians. Then came what many would describe as a formula anti-climax. The former general reported sick.

But really, an anti-climax? So what if the rule of law and democracy did not appear to be able to pin down the prized suspect for the time being. The moment was ripe for indulging in humour of all variety and for catharsis and the settling of old scores. Tongues spoke out, keyboards tapped and the torrent of emotion accumulating against the former dictator swept everything in its path. This was our chance to make fun of the coup-maker. This was our opportunity to expose the real man through the false façade he had been hiding behind all this while. The most democracy-loving — or simply fun-loving? — amongst us went as far as to say that what Gen Musharraf appeared to be suffering from was a doctored heart attack. The point is not whether the plea taken for absence from the court was false or not. That is for the judges to decide and for the doctors to figure out. The worrying part is the routine Pakistanis have made of ridiculing, and just that. It was natural that the idea of a uniformed constitution-breaker being held accountable would stimulate the atmosphere, but what ensued was rather short on substance and high on what Musharraf himself was accused of enacting: drama.