Who Should People of Pakistan
Turn To?
It
has become a routine in Pakistan that a C-in-C illegally takes
over the country, resets the national political clock at zero
hour and restarts to shape the political process according to
his whimsical notions.
Right now, Pakistan is going to fourth such
phase. A fourth C-in-C in row is illegally in power for the last
7 years.
It is true the people of Pakistan never had
had control over Pakistan’s sovereignty. GHQ always took
decisions on all matters of national importance. GHQ’s
representative, the C-in-C in power, molded events according to
the wishes of GHQ. General Musharraf has added new dimension to
this control over the state. Within last 7 years, general
Musharraf has turned Pakistan’s sovereignty into his show lace.
Before general Musharraf, Pakistan Army was a national
institution, now, it has become general Musharraf’s army,
because, instead of protecting Pakistan’s interests, this army
is protecting general Musharraf’s interests.
As this scenario is becoming more
unacceptable to patriotic Pakistanis, more and more of them are
questioning this set-up.
Last week, Voice of America held a round
table conference on Pakistan’s constitutional matters. One of
the questions discussed in the round table conference was the
implementation of article 6 of the constitution. Justice Saeed
UZ Zaman Siddiqui who is vehement supporter of implementation of
article 6 to stop illegal takeovers in Pakistan was also on the
panel. One of the participants asked about implementation of
article 6. S.M. Zaffar, a prominent constitutional expert, who
was also on the penal, said the article 6’s implementation will
require the trial of, other than C-in-C who takes over the
country, all those judges and attorneys who abet the commander
in chief to maintain illegal control over the state of Pakistan.
60 years is a long period in the history of a
nation. Continuity of illegal takeovers and their approval by
Supreme Court is a serious problem.
Supreme Court is the highest court in the
country which is supposed to provide justice and protect the
people of Pakistan from adventurers like general Ayub, Yahya,
Zia and general Musharraf. However, instead of protecting the
people, the Supreme Court of Pakistan sided with these
adventurers and helped perpetuate their illegal control over the
state.
The last such decision of Supreme Court of
Pakistan has almost destroyed Pakistan’s fundamental political
ethos. Through its verdict, Supreme Court not only allowed
general Musharraf to remain in power, it also allowed him to
alter the constitution, erect a fake political system and set
frogs like Dr. Sher Afghan Niazi, Mohammad Ali Durrani, Tariq
Azeem, Kishmala Tariq, Sumera Malki and Nilofer Buktiar free to
croak the songs about the blessings of general Musharraf’s
system.
The framers of 1973 constitution included
article 6 in the constitution to save the people and the country
from illegal takeovers.
If article 6 has failed, it has failed
because the Supreme Court judges. They were supposed to
implement this article. However, they chickened out and instead
of implementing the article 6 they decided to side with the
violators of the constitution.
With this onslaught by criminal command in
chiefs, with this kind of chicken Supreme Court judges, and with
a parliament based on bunch of toady and subservient MNAs and
Senators who should people of Pakistan turn to?
Who is there who will implement article 6,
try criminal generals and judges and restore the sanctity of law
and make Pakistan a normal functioning state?
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