When judges speak out
'A judge speaks out' by Ajmal Main, former chief justice of Pakistan, was launched on Monday at a function where two other former judges of the superior judiciary were also present to speak apart from the young Attorney-General Makhdoom Ali Khan.
The speeches were lively, informative and also provocative in the sense that Dr Javed Iqbal, chief guest of the evening, mentioned the names of five 'pliant' judges who had served military governments during their tenure.
He reviewed Ajmal Mian's book lucidly and concluded by saying that you cannot establish rule of law in the country without an independent judiciary which needed strong public support.
Justice Iqbal's comments were supported by the author - described by the former as a sincere, honest and God-fearing person who was very strong in court. Justice (r) Fakhruddin G. Ibrahim dilated upon the role of the judiciary in the legal history of Pakistan.
He lamented the judgment of Justice Mohammad Munir in the Moulvi Tamizuddin Khan case which reversed the judgement of the Sindh chief court and thus imposed the 'Doctrine of necessity' on us, providing a convenient tool for future military rulers. Had it not been for this, the history of Pakistan would have been entirely different, he said.
While speaking in his informal, mixed Urdu-English way, Fakhruddin Ibrahim informed the audience that during Gen Zia's military rule, when the GOC in Sindh wanted to appoint a civilian governor from among five sitting judges of the High Court, he had serious doubts whether anyone would agree.
But to his surprise, he was told that all the five judges were willing to serve. Sometime earlier, the same judges had, in a judgement, observed that military rule was anti-Islam and against the genesis of Pakistan.
Fakhruddin Ibrahim asserted that there was no alternative to parliamentary democracy and there could be no government without law. Justice Javed Iqbal recommended that a commission for judicial appointments should be constituted.
He further said that the Supreme Judicial council should be reactivated to look into the conduct of judges. In case there were genuine complaints against a judge, legal proceedings should be initiated against him/her.
At the outset, Makhdoom Ali Khan recalled his personal association with Justice Ajmal Mian, and the latter's objective analysis of the inner workings of the judiciary as well as the role of a judge in the grooming of young legal practitioners at the bar.
The guests were welcomed by Ameena Saiyed of the Oxford University Press - publishers of 'A judge speaks out'.
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The book mela launched at a couple of book shops in Urdu Bazaar in June will continue till July 18. Books are being sold slowly yet steadily, buyers keep coming and the business goes on.
We have heard so much about declining reading habits, but the situation didn't seem so depressing at the Urdu Bazaar. It was not only fiction and poetry that were in demand, but books on a variety of subjects were sought out by inquisitive buyers.
Priority wise, booksellers said, religious books were the first choice. Then came Islamic history - both new books and reprints of old ones. Biographies of eminent Islamic personalities, particularly of war heroes, registered brisk sales.
Books on current affairs with special reference to Kashmir, Afghanistan and Iraq, original and in translation were also popular among a certain class of politically-conscious readers. Travelogues, fiction and poetry collections were bought mostly by students and academicians for purposes of reference.
It was interesting to note that some writers who were popular decades back re-emerged, Ibn-i-Safi among them. Is this a sort of an escape from the realities of the present times or a failure on the part of contemporary writers to meet the demands of readers? Does the popularity of books on religious themes also signify something about the state of our society and politics today?
But the more important thing was that books were bought and sold, and taken home to be read. Translations of foreign books were popular, some of them coming from across the border in legal ways and many others through other 'arrangements'.
After talking to salesmen and looking at the bookshelves one found that "dry" subjects like philosophy, ancient Indian history and psychology were also, surprisingly, the choice of many.
For example, one publishing concern has published many titles on history, philosophy, and historical materialism, all of them authored by foreign writers and translated in Urdu, and these were bought.
Books for children, most of those in A4 size with colourful illustrations, were also on sale. Children love to read and they learn from their parents and elders. A book culture in the family is important for an educated future generation. But how do you find what children want to read, a salesman was asked.
"From the way they buy," he replied. Story books and comics are children's first choice, in English and Urdu both. But, Urdu books are comparatively less in demand because of their contents and poor production quality.
Do publishers and booksellers conduct any survey of the book buyers coming from different social strata and analyse public preferences? Hardly, it seems; they are happy just running their businesses.
A librarian at a school can tell you what kinds of books are popular, but not all schools can manage to have professionally run libraries. Most are just show-pieces and whatever meagre funds are allocated for the purchase of books are squandered away.
Coming back to the book mela at the Urdu Bazaar, one finds a congested place with motorcyclists and rickshaws dart in and out from the three sides of the triangular crossing. Its narrow lanes are occupied by vehicles and vendors and as such walking is difficult.
Actually an area like the one in the vicinity of the Frere Gardens, spacious and pollution free with a lot of parking space, is still best suited for holding book bazaars. Security, alas, has taken care of that. The literacy rate in Karachi is the highest among Pakistani cities, and its book lovers deserve better.