Zardari says he was never against Justice Iftikhar

President Asif Zardari says he was only waiting for the retirement of Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar before restoring Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as the chief justice.

The president told this scribe on Monday evening: “I never said that I am against Justice Iftikhar. I was only waiting for the retirement of Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, who took oath as the chief justice in the Musharraf regime. Dogar will retire on March 21 and Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will become the chief justice again in his place. I had made it clear on March 9, 2008 after signing the Murree Declaration that no sitting judge would be disturbed. I said it in the presence of Nawaz Sharif to the media and that was why I never disturbed Dogar.”

He said: “It was a small thing but this small thing exposed many big people.” Zardari was more concerned about some people from his own party who resigned from their ministries last week rather than his political brother Nawaz Sharif. He recited the verse of poet Khatir Ghaznawi: “Go zara si baat par barson kay yaraney gaey, Lekin itna to hua kuch log pehchaney gaey!”

President Zardari said a political crisis was over but Pakistan was still facing an economic crisis and terrorism. He is right. The political crisis is over but some big challenges are still there before the people of Pakistan. March 16 will always be remembered as the victory of justice in the history of Pakistan. This victory is a beginning of a new struggle, which will ultimately end with the implementation of the Charter of Democracy. Only implementation of this charter will provide an independent judiciary, strong parliament and a free media in Pakistan.

Today, every Pakistani is feeling proud of this victory and on restoration of the chief justice. This victory created a strong nation out of a weak state. Pakistanis are celebrating their victory like a festival.

Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry was twice removed in the last two years and he was twice restored. It’s a record in the world judicial and legal history. His first removal resulted in the launching of a movement for the independence of the judiciary, which was initiated by the lawyers, the media and the civil society. This movement was later joined by the political parties.

The PML-N of Nawaz Sharif promised to the people of Pakistan before the election 2008 that it will restore the deposed judges after coming into power. This party signed three written agreements with the Pakistan People’s Party for the restoration of the deposed judges but these agreements were not implemented. Finally, the PML-N left the coalition government in May 2008.

President Zardari avoided criticising the PML-N Quaid but said he had a difference of opinion with Nawaz Sharif only on the method, but not on the restoration. The PML-N never broke coalition in the Punjab province and tried to push the agenda for the restoration of judges slowly and gradually.

According to some analysts, President Zardari was afraid of Justice Iftikhar because he took suo motu action against the National Reconciliation Ordinance agreed between the PPP and Musharraf through which Zardari was given pardon in many corruption cases.

The PML-N had accused that Zardari used the judges appointed by the Musharraf regime to disqualify the Sharif brothers. These judges created a big crisis and governor’s rule was imposed in the Punjab. It is now expected after his restoration, Justice Iftikhar will not take up the NRO for avoiding another political crisis.

Nawaz Sharif has also assured Prime Minister Gilani that he will not demand to take up the NRO case again because he does not want to topple Zardari from the presidency. Nawaz reminded Gilani that the PPP promised the implementation of the CoD in the election manifesto of 2008 for which Gilani assured that “both of us will implement the CoD jointly”.

Lawyers’ leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan has already stated that Justice Iftikhar will avoid taking up the NRO. Others believe he will also not take any action against former president Pervez Musharraf, who detained him in his house for more than three months with his family.

Justice Iftikhar will not score any personal points against his enemies but he will not forget the missing persons’ case. The last hearing of this case was held on Nov 2, 2007 and after that he was removed. This case is a challenge for the credibility of Justice Iftikhar and he has to provide justice to hundreds of missing persons, who were picked up by the intelligence agencies without committing any crime. People of Pakistan expect that Justice Iftikhar will continue performing his duty to provide justice to voiceless and poor people who were his main source of strength during the two- year-old movement.

Karachi Ashura Blast Aftermath

As I write this, 4 days have passed since the fateful day of Muharram 10, the Ashura, when an allegedly suicidal blast ripped through MA Jinnah Road, Karachi. The blast left around 45 dead and 80 wounded but what happened afterwards, and was initially termed as show of anger by protesters and later as work of arsonists, damaged the business community of Karachi beyond repair. With more than 3,000 shops, godowns and offices burned along with banks and vehicles, accumulated losses may reach to billions of rupees, making thousands unemployed for so many days to come.
The question, for now, is not who did it. And in any case the question is futile to ask, because the government can pick a name from random, from a list of select adversaries, ranging from the Taliban, India, Blackwater, Foreign-hands and Non-state actors. The question that everybody should ask the government and its extensions is how successful they are in preserving the safety and sanctity of the land and its people. While the drones pound the tribal territory, killing more innocent civilians than alleged terrorists in each raid, blasts and terror attacks have created havoc and terror from Khyber to Karachi. The government is yet unable to declare the real culprit and has miserably failed to counter the menace of terrorism.
There were terrorist activities in Karachi on two consecutive days before the Ashura, first a car bomb blast in Paposh and then a gutter bomb blast in Qasba Colony. So, what extra security precautions the LEAs had for the Ashura procession? And, even if they were unable to provide security, where were the police, rangers, the Anti Riot Force and other security personnel when terrorists started to torch buildings and burn vehicles? What happened to the Sniper Squads installed on roof tops of buildings surrounding the procession’s route?
According to initial reports and observations chemicals, probably RDX, were used in the fires. Surely the mourners of Ashura Procession were not carrying that. From the looks of it, the burning and looting activities post Ashura Blast are very much similar to what happened on December 27, 2007, the day Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Or, the attack on Tahir Plaza which left many, including lawyers, burned alive in the building.

Salis bin Perwaiz of the News has raised some very pertinent questions which should be taken seriously and echoed across the country. People of Pakistan need answers. NOW!
However, People of Pakistan should not expect much from their “elected” leaders, government and the Law Enforcement Agencies, because they are even unable to protect themselves. On one hand the high profile Army officials get killed like sitting ducks, police training camps are attacked every now and then, and on the other the ministers and officials travel with dozens of escort vehicles and security on the streets of Pakistan, as if they are passing through enemy territory.
The investigations of Karachi Ashura Blast will go to trash like so many incidents before it. We are not going to learn who really did this and what were the reasons behind that.

Remembering 2005 Earthquake in Pakistan

On a fateful morning of October 08, 2005, mountains of Kashmir trembled and earth in Punjab shook for 23 seconds resulting in a worst clamity in history of Pakistan. The aftershocks that followed the intial 7.6 magnitude earthquake affected 80% of Punjab and 70% of NWFP. Hundreds of thousands died and millions went homeless.
The government was initially slow and gaudy in its response, relief activities were delayed due to lack of equipment and skills. However, public reaction towards the disaster was awesome. People of Pakistan, regardless of their faith, caste or creed, were united in relief and rehabiliation activities for the earthquake affected. During the aftermath of earthquake, we saw massive support campagins, in and abroad Pakistan, where governments, organizations and individuals came forward to help the affected by cash and kind.
October 8, 2009 marks the fourth anniversay of the earthquake. A lot has been done for rehabilitation of the affected but more is still required. The emotional scars will take time to heal but for that physical support and assistance should always be there. On this day, we should analyze and inquire about current condition of those who went homeless after the disaster. Have they received what had been promised to them by the government? What is the current situation of the orphans, the widows and the handicapped? What happened to the New Balakot City?
Also, we have to know what are our disaster management and recovery prepration now? Have we learned any lessons after the collapse of Margala Towers? Do we have required equipment and skills available to deal with similar situations? If not, then we are sitting ducks, as usual.

Earthquake devastated Haiti need our help

Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti (République d’Haïti ; Repiblik Ayiti) is a Haitian Creole- and French-speaking Caribbean country. Along with the Dominican Republic, it occupies the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago. Ayiti (land of high mountains) was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the mountainous western side of the island. The country’s highest point is Pic la Selle, at 2,680 metres (8,793 ft). The total area of Haiti is 27,750 square kilometres (10,714 sq mi) and its capital is Port-au-Prince. [wikipedia]
On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and devastated the capital city Port-au-Prince. The Presidential palace, Parliament and many other important structures were destroyed including the offices of the United Nations and World Bank, along with countless homes, businesses and shanty towns. The death toll has reached 200,000 while thousands are still missing.

 Communication, Infrastructure and administration were badly hit and Haiti, already weakened due to civil war and interference of foreign powers, collapsed after the earthquake. Going through the news of destruction and devastation brought back the pain we felt in 2005 when earthquake struck northern Pakistan

In the wake of the earthquake, international humanitarian organizations, NGOs, charities, individuals and governments came forward to assist in rescue and relief activities. Wikipedia has more on this.
It is our responsibility as humans and citizens of this world to help the people of Haiti. There are numerous ways to be helpful, we can donate in cash and kind. If nothing else, we can spread the word.

Benazir Bhutto and her Silent Assassins!!

Two assassinations in two different era’s but with so much commonalities! Even if I was not the believer of the theory “History repeats itself”,, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and John F Kennedy made me a firm believer of this. To my surprise when I started looking for motives, the execution and the actors involved in them, my belief became more stronger than ever.

Both being versatile, inspiring and committed made the same mistake…….going against the norms of dirty politics internally and externally and what a coincidence that their assasins left a trail which became a dead end after every new turn. First the crime scene……multiple shooters. In both the cases it has still remained a mystery that who fired the decisive shot. Where in Dallas an open ride, slow speed and the absence of secret service sealed JFK’s fate, at Liaquat Bagh an unplanned route with a sudden mob, no backup squad and a long distance shooter/hit man turned the tide. The commonalities are long and precisely the same all along the way.

For JFK Lee Oswald and Jack Ruby went to the grave with the mystery key while for BB Baitullah, Khalid Shahanshah and Rehman Dakait played this part. The postmortem, doctors account and the official versions gave a clear matching profile for both the leaders/victims. I mean how can the history be so cruel yet identical.

The motive behind the killings is another twist in the tale. JFK, being bold and courageous, held the button for the whole international power structure in his hand while BB was perceived to be the ice breaker of the so called “ Great Game of the Region”. Kennedy denied his enthusiastic nuclear ambitious lobby a show down in 1962 Cuban missile crisis, reached out to USSR in an unthinkable “Peaceful Co-Existence Move”,, both being the pills too bitter to swallow. This followed by his agenda over Vietnam sealed his turn as not only the President but also as a living human. With BB it was no different. Being in exile and away from public sentiments she got trapped between a dictator and his backers across the Atlantic. Once back she knew that with her burden of legacy, she could not please her guarenteers. She was from the masses and that’s how she wanted to be. The difference is only here that in my view JFK was never of the view that his own agency will take him down but in BB’s case she was aware that her SILENT ASSASINS have got nearer to her.

Both were tragedies of the highest magnitude. US went on to commit its biggest stupidity of an all out war in Vietnam and nuclear pile up only to realize 10 years later (1973) that both paths lead to no where. For Pakistan only 2 years have passed but it seems that the architects have planned a pay back on much severe terms. We are at war with an enemy which is neither our own (As we don’t own them) nor it’s a foreign perceived element ( As our government considers it a sin to name foreign intruders). The governance or the foreign policy has neither the reflection of BB(roti, kapra aur makaan) nor it has any fruit for the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. A bitter truth.

For long I kept on sorting a question regarding the real/silent assassins of Ms Bhutto. I was stuck in a dilemma which is faced by a rabbit…….when he has to choose between a lion and a crocodile. Was it the one who executed the killing and his fellows scattered around the globe or is it the deliverers who were suppose to guard her values? I mean like the situation of the rabbit I was hanging by the wire and ultimately I went toward entity……..her deliverers. They were to fight for her and those 180 million for whom she used to fight. Five year term, top offices…..this was already decided for her, but she went against it. So how can this be the merit of guarding her will?. Her assasins are here, right within us and some abroad too, but the fear of the whole revelation has stopped their identification. UN probe or any other can find nothing, and it is well known to every one asking for it. It is simply to delay it for a better day when no one will have the time to question it. How unfortunate that we lost such a brave woman, with her unmatched dedication and wisdom in this way……..from Liaquat Ali Khan to Zulfikar A Bhutto, all along the path we have been deprived but undoubtedly it’s the BB’s loss which has become the turning point.

May ALLAH rest her soul in peace and give us courage to ask ourselves for who and which purpose she sacrificed her life………Ameen!

Aafia Siddiqui convicted, may be sentenced for 60 years

Aafia Siddiqui, called ‘Laday Al-Qaeda’ by American media, has finally been convicted for attempted murder of Americans and may be sentenced for up to 60 years. Ironically, she was not charged for terrorism.

In 2003, Dr. Aafia, along with her 3 children, went missing in Karachi. In 2008, British journalist Yvonne Ridley hinted about presence of Aafia Siddiqui at United States run Bagram Airbase detention facility in Afghanistan.

The Foreign Office of Pakistan, as usual, denied knowledge of the alleged detention of a Pakistani woman at Bagram Airbase and said that the allegation would be looked into.

However, public protests vibrated across the world against inhuman treatment of Dr. Aafia, which caused US administration to declare her detention. In a lame statement from US Department of Justice (DOJ), it was stated that in July 2008 Aafia Siddiqui is arrested for attempting to kill United States Officers in Afghanistan. She has been transported to New York and will be presented tomorrow before a United States Magistrate Judge in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

In September 2008, her son was handed over to Pakistan by Afghan officials. Dr. Aafia was indicted for attempting to kill United States nationals in Afghanistan.

The trial continued for over 16 months and now, even when the jury was unconvinced about the charges, Dr. Aafia Siddiqui has been convicted.

The inhuman treatment of Dr. Aafia, her trial and conviction confirms that Obama Administration is following the path of Bush and the Justice system of United States is not really fair and impartial.

Those ostriches in Pakistan who thought Aafia Siddiqui would be released and handed back to Pakistan so that PPP government can score some points, should now return to their pots.

Why not legalize corruption in Pakistan?

Almost all men are greedy by nature. Except for a few honest individuals, everyone wants easy money. A little bit of corruption is of course tolerable (considering the low salaries paid to government employees). But then, there is no limit to corruption if it becomes a habit.

The current standoff between the judiciary and the ruling party is a result of the corruption of one man who has been convicted once in Switzerland and doesn’t want to lose his seat. The Prime Minister is reported to have gone to the Raiwind residence of Nawaz Sharif (the main opposition leader) and offered him a bargain: “You don’t stress the Swiss cases against the President, and we won’t ask NAB to proceed in cases against the Sharif family” (reported in DAWN, 23rd February 2010).

I wonder why the Prime Minister didn’t go further and offer lifetime immunity to Nawaz Sharif and his family in exchange for his support to Zardari. In fact, both of them can get together and legalize corruption. In future, whoever is in power should not file corruption cases against whoever is in opposition. Just think how many problems this will solve. It will free the ruling party from ever worrying that any of its members will have to go to jail, while the opposition politicians can look forward to the day when they come into power and loot the nation again.

I can’t think of a better solution to the current crisis than this.

Almost all men are greedy by nature. Except for a few honest individuals, everyone wants easy money. A little bit of corruption is of course tolerable (considering the low salaries paid to government employees). But then, there is no limit to corruption if it becomes a habit.

The current standoff between the judiciary and the ruling party is a result of the corruption of one man who has been convicted once in Switzerland and doesn’t want to lose his seat. The Prime Minister is reported to have gone to the Raiwind residence of Nawaz Sharif (the main opposition leader) and offered him a bargain: “You don’t stress the Swiss cases against the President, and we won’t ask NAB to proceed in cases against the Sharif family” (reported in DAWN, 23rd February 2010).

I wonder why the Prime Minister didn’t go further and offer lifetime immunity to Nawaz Sharif and his family in exchange for his support to Zardari. In fact, both of them can get together and legalize corruption. In future, whoever is in power should not file corruption cases against whoever is in opposition. Just think how many problems this will solve. It will free the ruling party from ever worrying that any of its members will have to go to jail, while the opposition politicians can look forward to the day when they come into power and loot the nation again.

I can’t think of a better solution to the current crisis than this.

“Brilliant” U.S. intelligence agencies!

The FBI used the photo of a Spanish politician to show how Osama Bin Laden might look like today. The politician, Gaspar Llamazares says he no longer feels safe and his life is in danger as his hair and parts of his face appeared on a most-wanted poster. He said the use of a real person for the mocked-up image was “shameless”. The FBI has admitted that one of their forensic artists had obtained certain facial features from a photograph on the internet. So this is how American intelligence agencies work!

Poor Mr Llamazares is now scared of travelling to the U.S. He is sure that he will be mistaken for Osama Bin Laden and could be shot.

“Bin Laden’s safety is not threatened by this but mine certainly is,” he said, adding that he was considering taking legal action. According to the FBI, however, “The forensic artist was not aware of the identity of the individual depicted in the photograph. The similarities between the photos were unintentional and inadvertent.” Below are photos of Osama Bin Laden (as he was in 2001), the FBI’s version of what he looks like today, and a photo of Mr Llamazares(right).

The FBI used the photo of a Spanish politician to show how Osama Bin Laden might look like today. The politician, Gaspar Llamazares says he no longer feels safe and his life is in danger as his hair and parts of his face appeared on a most-wanted poster. He said the use of a real person for the mocked-up image was “shameless”. The FBI has admitted that one of their forensic artists had obtained certain facial features from a photograph on the internet. So this is how American intelligence agencies work!

Poor Mr Llamazares is now scared of travelling to the U.S. He is sure that he will be mistaken for Osama Bin Laden and could be shot.

“Bin Laden’s safety is not threatened by this but mine certainly is,” he said, adding that he was considering taking legal action. According to the FBI, however, “The forensic artist was not aware of the identity of the individual depicted in the photograph. The similarities between the photos were unintentional and inadvertent.” Below are photos of Osama Bin Laden (as he was in 2001), the FBI’s version of what he looks like today, and a photo of Mr Llamazares(right).