BY ARDESHIR COWASJEE
Karachi:
All is well. The sun shines upon the multicoloured heads of Pakistan’s beloved rulers, and things in the Republic chug along as per normal.
A news item in the press on December 14 made all hearts glow. We read that the caretaker Prime Minister, glossy-headed Mohammedmian Soomro, was leaving to perform what is obligatory upon all those who rule Pakistan Haj at the expense of the adoring people. And happily for him, he was not going alone. He had company. An entourage which reportedly comprised 35 men and 15 women all described as “his close associates and officials of PM and Senate secretariats.” They were all “on the invitation of Soomro… but it is not clear who would bear the expense of this special delegation to be airlifted on a special flight.” Well, to me it is abundantly clear – it is the Pakistanis.
The ambassador of the Kingdom called upon Pakistan’s caretaker and assured him that he and his entourage would be right royally received. Bully for the cheerleaders – may all their sins be washed away (temporarily)! Now, in this 21st century, President General Pervez Musharraf rid himself of the meddlesome Chief Justice he had appointed, and who had duly sworn an oath to him, merely by declaring an emergency (Constitutional, of course) and thus suspending fundamental rights. In his defence he cited President of the US Abraham Lincoln who had declared an emergency in the 19th century. The two Prime Ministers of last century were both ousted twice for incompetence, corruption and various other sins of commission and omission; one ended up in self-exile the other in imposed exile. These same two (though Musharraf has no love lost for either), this century, have been invited back from their comfortable high-life exiles to participate in the general elections of January 8, 2008.
Why? Easy to answer to lend legitimacy to the election and its “fair and free” process, Musharraf in his eight years in the national saddle not having been able to raise a new class of younger untainted politicians with no heavy baggage hanging from their fulsome necks. Interpol had issued red warrants against one and are now confused as they do not know whether the warrants are off or on. All Pakistanis can console themselves with is the fact that there are far worse off countries in this world. However, this does not justify at all the imposition of emergency when the people were deprived of many of their fundamental rights.
The former Chief Justice, now declared dismissed, retired, defunct, was pursuing the case of some 200 “missing persons” (the “disappeared” of Pakistan). He was unable to find them. On one excuse or the other, the government lawyers and the “agencies” declared their inability to produce them and their ignorance of what had happened to them. Justice Chaudhry was frustrated, helpless. After his departure it is unlikely that this case will be revived by the court as it is unfriendly towards the executive.
Now, with conviction I will say that President Musharraf is not a vindictive man, but however camouflaged he remains a military dictator. He has managed to keep himself from becoming an insufferable despot – so far. He would surely not wish to be remembered as a vengeful man. Does he, as head of state and de facto head of everything in it, not owe some sort of explanation to the distressed, to the hundreds of mothers, fathers, wives, children, sisters, brothers of the citizens of Pakistan who remain on the “missing persons list”?
- By arrangement with Dawn (Deccan Chronicle)
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