Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf dismissed mounting speculation he is preparing to resign while his political opponents and media on Friday clamored for his departure.
A late-night meeting this week between Musharraf and his successor as army chief fueled rumors that the longtime U.S. ally in its war on terror could resign.
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The public pronouncements made thus far by the Chief Justice Iftikhar have emphasised two themes viz. Supremacy of the Constitution and, the Rule of Law. He has left his own restoration and that of the superior judiciary to his minions, Aitzaz and Nawaz to pursue. Together his two themes represent the foundation and the essence of any Democratic system.
What we have witnessed since the 18th February are the diktats of some individuals having no electoral credentials and not even the protective cover of an Oath under the Constitution. The media pundits and the so-called civil society are entranced in a deafening silence over this version of Democracy, either through some ulterior motives or sheer ignorance. Perhaps both. (more…)
Following photo appeared in both Jang and Dawn of May 29, 2008. It shows residents of Baldia Town Karachi have resorted to harnessing Wind Energy to produce electricity. We’ve discussed Electricity shortage and alternate ways to produce electricity in Pakistan in several posts here. I am happy to see this indiginous effort on part of a middle-class community to control their own destiny where Government has failed to provide for them. Wind is usually in abundance in coastal areas of Pakistan. More communities may emulate this example.
ISLAMABAD: The co-chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party, Asif Ali Zardari has said that PPP had never believed in the status quo.
The United States is shirking its duty to provide the world with moral leadership and China is letting its business interests trump human rights concerns in Myanmar and Sudan, a human rights group said Wednesday.
Amnesty International's annual report on the state of the world's human rights accused the U.S. of failing to provide a moral compass for its international peers, a long-standing complaint the London-based group has against the North American superpower.
This year it also criticized the U.S. for supporting Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf last November when he imposed a state of emergency, clamped down on the media and sacked judges.
I know, it's been a day over a month since I last blogged. Have been tied up (not literally) with a lot of things the last one month and couldn't get anything through so just thought I'd write a quick update.
I've got lots to write about so just hope I can get back to blogging soon. Take care.
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Kalabagh Dam, which has been a dead project for all practical purposes, got a stir yesterday when Federal Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervez Ashraf said that the project has now been shelved for ever.
On the same day, another interesting development happened about NWFP where it was decided to change the name of NWFP (North West Frontier Province) to ‘Pakhtunkhwa‘
1. Kalabagh Dam
For the past few decades, both of these issues have always created passions and exposed the fissures in Pakistani society. The politicians from three smaller provinces have been unanimous in hailing the decision on shelving Kalabagh dam for ever whereas JI and PTI have been very vocal against the decision. Infact, the opposition from Punjab was so great that later the Minister had to change his words and he clarified that the project was ‘on hold’ and not totally discarded. (more…)
The opposition to Pervez Musharraf is taking a worrisome turn — one that Musharraf’s supporters inside and outside of Pakistan should take heed of. Those who would like to see Musharraf’s ouster have been frustrated by the prevention of him being conventionally removed. Rather than simply calling for his resignation or impeachment, some have upped the antie, calling for Musharraf to be punished under article six of the constitution, which treats the abrogation of the constitution as high treason. Musharraf, if tried and convicted, could face the penalty of death. Such talk, though not new, has increased in recent weeks as the PPP and Musharraf have gotten closer.
These hardline positions do not come from the political fringe; they come from the mainstream.
Today, Nawaz Sharif gave a particularly fiery speech in Lahore on the 10th anniversary of Pakistan’s first public nuclear tests, which were conducted under his premiership. Once again, he framed himself as the leader who resisted foreign pressure and approved the testing of nuclear bombs in response to neighbor and rival India. Sharif tied his decision to one of his regular themes: the loss of Pakistan’s sovereignty and dignity under the rule of Pervez Musharraf. Most importantly, he criticized attempts to keep Musharraf in power and called for applying article six on him. Sharif also said he would join the lawyers’ movement in the streets if the judges are not restored by the current government. The deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry also called for article six to be applied to the PCO judges, i.e. those who took their oaths when the constitution was suspended.
Similarly, Aitzaz Ahsan of the lawyers’ movement and (less so) the PPP[-Zardari] said today that if Musharraf is not removed by June 10, he will take his “long march” to the Army House (where Musharraf currently resides). A group of retired army officers also pledged to protest in front of the residence if Musharraf does not vacate it.
Meanwhile, Asif Zardari appears to not be backing down. The gulf between him and Sharif seems to have grown. Zardari also said today that [his] government will combat the lawyers if necessary. But Zardari’s tryst with Musharraf is also causing problems within his party. Many oppose the idea of him meeting with Musharraf and want him to come to terms with the lawyers’ movement. Such calls come not only from Aitzaz Ahsan, but also other PPP stalwarts such as Raza Rabbani, Safdar Abbasi, Naheed Khan, and Raja Shahid Zafar. Zardari has overstretched in his powerplay. He’s pushed out some senior PPP figures out to create room for his largely unelected loyalists. At the same time, he’s been muddied by Musharraf. This could come back to haunt him.
While economic troubles have slightly dampened public support for the lawyers’ movement, it seems to have had little impact on its opposition Musharraf. The former army general remains a deeply polarizing figure six months after he imposed martial law and three months after the elections in which his allies were routed. Nonetheless, he remains artificially in power. And it seems as if in June public opposition to Musharraf will take an increasingly stident, if not violent, turn. Those who have become perhaps indelibly tied with him, namely Washington and the PPP, definitely have some thinking to do.
Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief, Mian Nawaz Sharif Wednesday said the time to bring revolution has come "because the February 18 verdict of the people has not ...
Irum Sarfaraz
The state of juvenile delinquency in Pakistan is reaching epic proportion with neither the law nor other people associated with it willing to understand the continual and serious dangers being rendered to the health, social and moral development of these children and society. The majority of these delinquents are ‘street children’ who are increasing rapidly in direct proportion with the brisk population growth, urbanization and above all, poverty. The result is that more and more of these children find themselves in conflict with the law for some reason or another. But what the law doesn’t realize is that by treating these juvenile in a class with adults, it is creating a never ending breed of hardened criminals that are only a menace to an already crime ridden society.
What makes the situation more critical is that out of Pakistan’s population of 165 million almost half or 49% are under the age of 18 years while 22 % are adolescent(10-18 years). Five out of seven children are denied the right of the identity by means of registration at birth and hence are not even counted as citizens. According to estimates 3 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labor and the count continues to go up every year. When such a huge number of the population is juvenile and the majority of them are living below the poverty line, then it is only normal that these kids would have more than their fair share of run-in with the law. But in Pakistan there seems to be a lack of deliberation on the very reasons why juvenile courts were designed in the first place. (more…)
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