I had been planning for days now to write a post on how proud I was to be a Pakistani. In the post I planned to pay tribute to our heroes in this new Pakistan. Heroes including the lawyers movement, civil society, students, bloggers,  the media, political parties and of course the passionate Pakistani people. However as the great Munir Niazi said ‘hamaisha dair kar daita houn mein’ as Dr Farrukh Saleem has beaten me to it via his brilliant article in The News.

Dr Farrukh Saleem’s article charts the history of heroes and revolutions over centuries and last but not least pinpoints exactly why Pakistanis today are feeling so proud. I can truly say that his words are my words too and hence I have decided to post the article below:

Proud to be Pakistani by Dr Farrukh Saleem

Dateline: Karbala, Muharram 10, 61 AH — Hussain ibne Ali ibne Abi Talib (RA) refused to pledge allegiance to Dictator Yazid ibne Mu’awiyah ibne Abi Sufyan. Sayyid al-Shuhada (RA) “gave his head but not his hand of allegiance in the hand of Yazid (this according to Shah Moinuddin Chishty Ajmeri).” The Sayyid of the youth of Paradise was beheaded by Shimr Ibne Thil-Jawshan (a soldier in the Ummayad army that was led by Umar ibne Sa’ad).

Dateline: Kufa, 148 AH — Imam Al-azam Abu Hanifa refused to become Dictator Abu Ja’far al-Mansur’s Qazi Al-Qazat (chief judge). Al-Mansur imprisoned Abu Hanifa and tortured him to death (when al-Mansur invited Abu Hanifa to become his chief judge, Abu Hanifa sent a message back to the monarch that he did not consider himself capable for the post. Al-Mansur told Abu Hanifa that he was lying and Abu Hanifa shot back: “I rest my case. If I am a liar then how can I become the chief judge?” Al-Mansur was furious at Abu Hanifa’s reply).

Dateline: Islamabad, Safar 20, 1428 AH – Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry refused to resign on orders of Dictator President General Pervez Musharraf. The chief justice was suspended, his family imprisoned within the four walls of his house.

Dateline: Islamabad, Rabi-ul-Awwal 18, 1430 — Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani announced the restoration of all the deposed judges including Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

There are 1.5 billion Muslims and 57 Muslim-majority nation-states. Imagine; in the past 1,430 years of Islamic history the first Muslim who refused to bow down to a dictator was Sayyid al-Shuhada Hussain ibne Ali ibne Abi Talib (RA). Eighty-seven years later, the second Muslim to bow down to a dictator was Imam Al-azam Abu Hanifa. One thousand two hundred and eighty years later came a Pakistani named Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

In 1986, peoples’ power — absolutely peaceful, non-violent and prayerful — brought down a stubbornly corrupt Filipino system of governance. In 1989, peoples’ power proved its muscle in Poland, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria and Romania (all peaceful except for in Romania where the military unexpectedly changed sides and allowed Nicolae Ceausescu’s summary execution). People’s power in Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Serbia and Ukraine used a colour or a flower as a symbol but never ever has a chief justice been used as the rallying cry.

On March 24, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry shall sit in Court Room No 1 and begin dispensing justice. To be certain, on March 25, there aren’t going to be canals of milk and honey all over 778,720 square kilometres of land area we call Pakistan. Justice Chaudhry shall be dispensing justice; neither electricity nor atta or pani. And that is so because any tripodal government rests on the executive, parliament and the judiciary. The judiciary merely dispenses justice and keeps the executive and parliament within the bounds of the constitution. Bijli, atta and pani — plus law and order — are part of the social contract between the elected politicians and the 172 million Pakistanis.

For the chief justice, he would have to hold the executive and parliament accountable (both consider themselves above accountability). The Lord Chief Justice of Pakistan would have to protect fundamental rights plus steer clear of all purely political quarrels.

Proud to be a Pakistani because we produced the third Muslim in the history of Islam who said ‘no’ to a dictator. Proud to be a Pakistani because ours has been the very first absolutely non-violent mass movement within the world of Islam that successfully met its objective. Proud to be a Pakistani now that we can export our chattels of judicial independence to our brethren in other 57 Muslim-majority states. Proud that we can be the source of glitter to Muslims in other countries. Proud that our civil society has reinvented hope. Proud at the tenacity of our lawyers. Proud at the strength of our journalists. Proud at the resolve of our media.

The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). Email: farrukh15@hotmail.com

Published in The News

Proud of you President Asif Ali Zardari is a sentence missing from the article and are seven words I would love to write. Regular readers will notice the respect I have afforded the President given I have normally reduced him to a man of percentages alone. Today I put all that to one side as per my very deliberate and unilateral gesture of reconciliation as detailed in the previous post.

I am willing to let bygones be bygones so long as the President learns from his past mistakes and works to unite Pakistan on the basis of provincial autonomy, justice and constitutionalism, good governance and fair play. This is no lovefest or a story of not summer but spring love, and no I have not been bought by the PPP or worse been Farooq Naeked!

Moreover this  a plea from one Pakistani to another Pakistani to unite for the nation and I say this with all my heart that I do hope that President Zardari’s address to Parliament tomorrow brings to the nation more good news. Let me say it here that if the much maligned President decides in actions to empower Parliament, ensure real provincial autonomy in all provinces and begins to implement the Charter of Democracy, this foe will salute him.

507 days later martial law has ended as Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry has finally sat in court number one of the Supreme Court. To put it simply the Chief Justice himself has finally got justice.

Today is a day of great celebration for me personally as I have supported the Chief Justice before 9 March and have followed his judgements before the Chief Justice became a household name. I believe that the Chief Justice’s victory is my victory too and more importantly Pakistan’s victory.

For me this is a time to thank ALLAH for granting Pakistan victory, and as a gesture of thanks to ALLAH I have decided to begin reconciliation with one and all, even those foes not deserving such grace. So I say this to Justice Sardar Muhammed Raza Khan and Justice Tariq Pervez I resent your decisions of taking a fresh oath as judges and will always do so.  However I will  put it to one side and will from today begin the difficult process of forgetting  and maybe even forgiving your betrayal .

On a lighter note some might say that I have probably been too strict in determining that martial law ended on 23 March given Prime Minister Gillani’s executive order and Dog(gar)’s exit all occuring over the past few days. But I do not regret my stand for trusting Mr Zardari doesnt come easy!

It is hoped that by the time this post is published, the Chief Justice will be dispensing justice in court room number one. I am delighted to see that the Supreme Court website has been updated to show the Chief Justice as its supremo.

The end of martial law is a great victory for the people of Pakistan and the lawyers movement in particular whose sacrifices will be written in golden letters. This is a new Pakistan, one fashioned on the great ideals of our founding fathers in Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-e-Azam.

This is a defining moment in Pakistan’s history. Having laid the foundations of constitutionalism again, we must as a nation stand united as not only the heirs of the Quaid’s Pakistan but the torchbearers of a reborn Pakistan.

This is a time for optimism for we must never lose the hope of a better tomorrow and of a better Pakistan. As I wrote in my founding post  and I say it gain today ‘we must work towards building a better, more just Pakistan. The Quaid and his vision must guide us, so let us together create the Other Pakistan.

Pakistan Zindabad

Today I have been reflecting on the rise and fall of such false gods. It goes without saying that the lawyers movement destroyed both men. The central issue throughout has been the rule of law and the constitution and with this in mind I cannot move on without making reference to Habib Jalib’s Dastoor.

Habib Jalib like Faiz and Faraz needs no introduction. He is alive today in all of us and his poem ‘Dastoor’ is as relevant today and has become the unofficial anthem of the long march. Indeed was this long march not Habib Jalib’s long march too.

‘Dastoor’ was originally written in 1962 against Ayub’s bogus constitution.  Today the words of the poem are as relevant as they were over forty years ago. Indeed I would go further any say that Jalib’s ‘dastoor’ is even more relevant today than even before against the false ‘dastoor’ of Dogar and Musharraf.  Hence I repeat the iconic words of Habib Jalib’s ‘Dastoor’  with English translation thanks to Sana Saleem’s blog Mystified Justice.

Deep jis ka sirf mehellaat hi main jalay,
Chand logon ki khushyon ko lay ker chalay,
Wo jo saye main har maslihat kay palay;
Aisay dastoor ko,
Subh e bay noor ko,
Main naheen maanta,
Main naheen jaanta.

The light which shines only in palaces
Burns up the joy of the people in the shadows
Derives its strength from others’ weakness
That kind of system,
like dawn without light
I refuse to acknowledge,
I refuse to accept

Main bhee kha’if naheen takhta e daar say,
Main bhee Mansoor hoon, keh do aghyaar say,
Kyun daraatay ho zindaan ki divar say,
Zulm ki baat ko,
Jehel ki raat ko,
Main naheen maanta,
Main naheen jaanta.

I am not afraid of execution,
Tell the world that I am the martyr
How can you frighten me with prison walls?
This overhanging doom,
this night of ignorance,
I refuse to acknowledge,
I refuse to accept

Phool shaakhon pay khilnay lagay tum kaho,
Jaam rindon ko milnay lagay tum kaho,
Chak seenon kay silnay lagay tum kaho,
Iss khulay jhoot ko,
Zehan ki loot ko,
Main naheen maanta,
Main naheen jaanta.

“Flowers are budding on branches”, that’s what you say,
“Every cup overflows”, that’s what you say,
“Wounds are healing themselves”, that’s what you say,
These bare-faces lies,
this insult to the intelligence,
I refuse to acknowledge,
I refuse to accept

Tum nay loota hai sadyon hamara sakoon,
Ab na hum per chalay ga tumhara fasoon,
Chara gar main tumhain kiss tara say kahoon?
Tum naheen charaagar,
Koi maanay magar,
Main naheen maanta,
Main naheen jaanta.

For centuries you have all stolen our peace of mind
But your power over us is coming to an end
Why do you pretend you can cure pain?
Even if some claim that you’ve healed them,
I refuse to acknowledge,
I refuse to accept.

You have read the words now see the video with Habib Jalib singing ‘Dastoor’ below:

I also add Mian Shahbaz Sharif’s brilliant singing of Dastoor too which proves he is talented in many a field!

And yes its still martial law until the Chief Justice is restored  and sitting in room number one of the Supreme Court  hence my end comment as below:

- WRITTEN UNDER MARTIAL LAW (My thanks to cowards Tariq Pervez. Sabihuddin, Sardar Raza & Co for selling out)

The success of the lawyers movement and the long march has got us this far however today’s post is not a review of the journey so far though a post on this topic is forthcoming.

Instead I want to lighten up, to relax a little and to laugh a little too. Hence this post carries a humourous article on the long march written by Masood Hasan in The News , its a must read as it includes a desi take on Nike’s world famous tag line and its links to Farooq Naek our new Chairman of the Senate which will make you smile, not Zardari-style  I hope but a smirk at least if not a burst of laughter. So sit comfortably readers, take a chilll pill and smile Pakistan and enjoy, have a  read of the article below:

Long March: Brand ‘failure’ by Masood Hasan

I am afraid I am not bowled over by this long march thing. It’s got just about as much buzz as damp squib pretending to be the life and soul of the party. For one thing, the whole purpose of this long march defeats me. I mean why go for such an ordeal to start with? Why not a short march instead? What is the purpose of walking and riding rickety old vans for days and days only to get way laid by a rusting container? What does that prove except that on a good day a container past its prime can still get you where it matters? It is like asking the derailed Rawalpindi Express to hurtle full speed from one end of Islamabad only to gently toss a lolly pop arriving in Rawalpindi. Makes no sense at all. And then if all that the long march is finally offering is a visit to Islamabad, the most dull and dreary city in the world, what’s the big deal? I’d rather go to Gojra.

And that’s not all. For an event of its much touted size, it has no corporate sponsors worth the name. It’s at the end of the day just another dreary long march and since it is taking place in March, it loses any unique appeal it may have had to start with. It would have been much better that someone like Zong had picked up the event and called it Zong’s Long March at unbelievably low rates. For starters it could have promised customers that they could call the president at half the rate any time of the day or night, but obviously Zong has better things to do than sponsor a daft event like this. I would have thought that since communications is going to a bit of a dodgy thing on the day itself, a Telco supporting the march would have meant something, but there were no takers. That’s sad and shows that the event didn’t have the pull that it should have had.

Personally I think Zong missed a good opportunity. They could have had a picture of Mao alongside that of Zardari and had a slogan like, ‘from the folks who gave you THE long march, here’s a cheap version at an unbelievably low price.’ Imagine the priceless advertising mileage with close up shots of Shahbaz and Nawaz Sharif at either end of the billboard holding mobiles close to their ears saying, ‘Aur sunao?’ Instead of that, all we have is a long march without any sponsorship worth talking about. Either the chaps selling the concept didn’t really understand it or the advertisers are more badly hit than we all think, the final result has been the same.

In terms of picking up sponsors, a sure sign of a winner is the amount of parties that sign up on the dotted line and fork out obscene amounts of cash. Nothing like that has so far been seen. Unless you think Hamid Mir is secretly selling Glaxo Baby Food on the side, since he looks like one of those babies who has knocked out the entire competition in showdown after showdown and now reigns supreme with a perpetual satisfied smile often associated with cats that have had a few unsuspecting canaries for an early breakfast.

There cannot be a long march without gallons of water to consume. Beating lawyers is not an easy matter as the cops have learned over the years. For one thing they are all in black and white and look the same so any good baton-swinging cop could be forgiven for shaking his head in disbelief seeing a black coat appearing looking just the same as the one the cop had minutes back dispatched to the floor. However at the time of sending this in, no worthwhile water sponsor has come forward. I simply cannot understand how they can pass up the opportunity. Slogans like ‘Purity you can trust,’ which in normal times usually send consumers into frothing demons, could so easily be accepted were the visual to show Mr Zardari embracing Mr Sharif or both sharing a paper cup of the pure stuff. Imagine masses of black coats raising clenched fists at some border or the other with the line, ‘We want Sufi.’ No one would know that the last thing they want is Sufi but who can tell what they are saying and let’s face it, thirst being thirst, the slogan would be most believable.

Yet amazingly, none of the water brands has shown the least inclination in supporting the long march, neither with a campaign nor simply product placement. If I was a yogurt maker, I would have had Mr Kurd’s pure white countenance on every poster, his mane of white hair so artistically blending into the open pack shot of white yogurt and some immortal line like, ‘Kurd’s favourite curd,’ blazing across the landscape. Even a shot of him getting hauled into a police van could have had a pack shot placed next to the scene of the action with an inspiring line like, ‘Stay cool with your favourite Curd.’

These days all the talk is about brand activation. No one quite understands what it is but that does not mean they cannot push it forward. Basically it means making sure your brand is out there, visible and preferably in action. If you are a fruit juice, happy kids and even happier adults are sucking it up in long swoops. With cops outnumbering the protestors ten to one as a steel manufacturer I would have made a bee line and sold the steel-ends of the staves to the police, of course ensuring that the branding of the ends would be clearly visible to the cameras. Imagine a shot of a stave landing smack across the bald pate of a protestor with the line, ‘Mughal Steel. Dependable to the very end.’ Or if so inclined, ‘Seal the deal with Mughal Steel.’ Why the steel makers haven’t thought of this opportunity or the police force haven’t understood the potential of their product, I am not qualified to comment on, except that both have missed the bus.

This reminds me about the missing bus companies. What better chance would come their way than to show millions of people crammed into their vehicles heading this way or that and some line like, ‘We get you there when you need to get there,’ with the maker’s name right next to it? I can assure the makers that people of Pakistan who have again and again demonstrated that they are ready to buy the most worthless products, would have happily endorsed this brand knowing that for once they had the real thing.

Zardari drinking glasses of Energile, Gilani popping pills with fortified iron, Salmaan Taseer with a black T Shirt and the line ‘Good to the last drop,’ Rehman Malik with a greasy rubber ball in his hand and the line, ‘Sleaze ball,’ Farooq A Naek with running shoes and the line, ‘Naek. Just do it,’ are all visuals that come flooding to the mind but the long march has sadly fallen short of inspiring any of the above. Instead we have dull and boring coverage from all over the countryside saying why this group or that are unable to get past the containers the police have strewn everywhere. What beats me is that they all apparently want to get to Islamabad. I thought it was a city everyone wanted to get away from. As usual I got that wrong too.

The writer is a Lahore-based columnist. Email: masoodhasan66@gmail.com

- WRITTEN UNDER MARTIAL LAW (My thanks to cowards Tariq Pervez. Sabihuddin, Sardar Raza & Co for selling out)

The Chief Justice and his brother judges have been restored. The lawyers movement have achieved their goals for the restoration of judges as per the November 2nd position. This is a historic day and the culmination of a great struggle and the first chapter of a new Pakistan.

As a passionate supporter of the Chief Justice I cannot put it in words how happy I am now that the Chief Justice and more importantly justice has been restored. Above all I pay tribute to the lawyers, every single lawyer who took on the mantle of saving a country that was created by a great lawyer. You are the true sons of the Quaid and Pakistan salutes you.

I pay special tribute to the leaders of the lawyers movement Munir A Malik, Justice Tariq Mehmood, Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan,  Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed and Ali Ahmed Kurd.  Pakistan salutes these sons of the Quaid.  I also pay tribute to the political leaders who supported the restoration of the Chief Justice from day one namely Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Rasul Bux Palijo, Abdul Haye Baloch and Qadir Magsi.

For civil society I dont have enough words of praise and a more detailed post listing our heroes is needed if not essential as a record of our new history. Let us not forget that this is an achievement borne of many sacrifices  notably the blood of  innocents of May 12th as well as heroes departed such as Imdad Ali Awan and Ahmed Faraz who will both be smiling today.

I remain cautious as to the mechanics of the restoration as I do not trust Mr 10% and do smell a rat. I wonder if he will insist on an ego triip and  will only restore the Chief Justice if he takes a ‘new oath’ under him as President.  Other concerns include whether the Chief Justice will be curtailed by a new law especially his suo moto powers that bought relief to many poor citizens. Above all the acts of November 3 need to be reversed and I hope the Chief Justice is allowed to do this and that the politicians and establishment have not set up a ‘deal’ as per the best interests of the nation.

That said this is a defining moment in Pakistan’s history as the Chief Justice has been restored due to people power. This is a lesson for all past, present and future military and civilian governments alike that the power of the people is real power and that they must govern only in their interests.

Congratulations to the people of Pakistan, I am so proud of you today. I must stop here as I am in the mood to celebrate and perform a bhangra or two as is happening all over Pakistan today from Lahore to Lakki Marwat. The Holy Quran says ‘with hardship goeth ease’, I pray to ALLAH that the restoration of the Chief Justice will usher in a golden era of justice for all, and above all ease for all.

We are witnessing the dawn of a new Pakistan, let us celebrate that together as we have had too many bad days and too many tragedies. Let us stand tall as one and rise to our challenges too as one, let us build a new Pakistan, an ‘other’ Pakistan that is the Quaid’s Pakistan.

So friends and comrades its not dharna time its BHANGRA TIME. Let us smile today, hug your loved ones and celebrate as this is a victory for Pakistan and her passionate people.

And yes its still martial law until the Chief Justice is restored  and sitting in room number one of the Supreme Court  hence my end comment as below:

- WRITTEN UNDER MARTIAL LAW (My thanks to cowards Tariq Pervez. Sabihuddin, Sardar Raza & Co for selling out)

But the masses must not stay at home, so this post is one that seeks to rally the troops. Other Pakistan’s original  ‘nara’ or slogan for the first long march is simple and catchy and it is repeated again for this second long march and is shown below:

Dama-Dum Mast Kalander

Chief Saab Court Ke Andher

Please pass it on so it can be sung across Pakistan, ignore the rumours as its dama dum mast kalander time once again. Arise Pakistan and long march!

- WRITTEN UNDER MARTIAL LAW (My thanks to cowards Tariq Pervez. Sabihuddin, Sardar Raza & Co for selling out)

On the 9th of March 2007 Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry stood tall against a military dictator. Two years on from that day I feel somewhat nostalgic and want to state what has been achieved since that fateful day.

The stand taken by ‘The Chief’ as I fondly call him and the principled lawyers movement have brought about wholesale changes even if the PPP lie factory continues to say otherwise. The following set of truths list the milestones achieved by the lawyers movement and show how far we have come since March 9, 2007. The text below says it all:

• General Musharraf falls in popularity and cuts a ‘deal’ with Benazir Bhutto to save his first and second skin and how both went!

• The exiled former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto returns to Pakistan as Musharraf is reduced to a shadow of the strongman he was and is forced to allow her return as per the US-UK scripted NRO deal.

• The Chief Justice accepts Benazir Bhutto’s petition regarding 28 million missing voters and orders the Election Commission to register the missing voters and prepare a new electoral register.

• The Chief Justice orders the release of Makhdoom Javed Hashmi.

• The Chief Justice orders the Musharraf regime to allow the return of Mian Nawaz Sharif, however he is deported back to London.

• An eleven-member Supreme Court full bench headed by Justice Javed Iqbal is on the verge of deciding against General Musharraf’s claim for presidential office. The judgement is pre-empted by Gen Musharraf as he imposes martial law.

• General Musharraf imposes martial law on 2 November which is struck down by the Chief Justice heading a 7-member bench declaring the PCO illegal, the first time in the history of Pakistan.

• The Chief Justice and his brother judges are arrested and put under house arrest as are leaders of the lawyers movement and political leaders.

• Mian Nawaz Sharif returns to Pakistan as General Musharraf is forced to allow his return under Saudi pressure.

• Story So Far- Political leaders returning to Pakistan are a slap in the face on Musharraf’s mug and are a direct consequence of a weakened Musharraf hanging on for power due to his fall since 9 March 2007.

• Chief of Army Pervez Musharraf is forced to shed his second skin and hand over to Pervez Kayani.

• Benazir Bhutto is assasinated in Rawalpindi as Mr 10% takes over.

• Elections are held on February 18 that bring about the rejection of Musharraf’s Q League and coalition governments are formed in the Centre and the Provinces with Yousef Raza Gillani as Prime Minister.

• A spirit of reconcilation and mature politics sweeps the nation bringing about hope of a new dawn as Mr 10% and Nawaz Sharif agree to work together and restore the judges not once or twice but three times (each time due to Mr 10% never ending u-turns)

• ‘President’ Musharraf is threatened with impeachment and is forced to resign! whilst Mr 10% deceives Nawaz Sharif again and  refuses to restore the Chief Justice and his brother judges.

• Mr 10% is elected President and smiles! (but I wonder who will have the last laugh!)

I trust Farzana Raja and her ilk will concur entirely!

Let me finish with a note that the second long march with dharna or a sit-in is just around the corner. Like millions, I too will be in that long march in blood, sweat and tears,. Let us pray that neither of the three are not needed.

- WRITTEN UNDER MARTIAL LAW (My thanks to cowards Tariq Pervez. Sabihuddin, Sardar Raza & Co for selling out)