Article Bushra Gohar

Benazir Bhutto and Maulana Fazlul Rehaman (President Islamic party) are in Islamabad to continue with their wheeling and dealing with the Military dictator for a share in the power pie...interestingly following the proclamation of Martial law on November 3, 2007 the government started an immediate crackdown against lawyers, journalists, human rights activists and opposition party leaders with most already arrested or skirting arrests, the wheelers and dealers are free to move around in the country...whereas members of the Pervez Musharaf League are taking the rounds on the state controlled PTV to convince the world and I believe themselves as to how important the emergency was for the country as it would usher peace and prosperity through some weird logic...I wonder why all civilized nations are not living under military rule and emergency if it is so good for a country...Musharraf and his self serving lackey have totally lost it and are hell bent on taking the country to the brink of disintegration...they are holding negotiations and jirgas with criminals while beating up and torturing lawyers, journalists and Human Rights activists and throwing them in jails for raising their voices against the emergency and demanding for the restoration of the constitution and civil liberties.

The Axe of this illegal and unconstitutional act of November 3 however, fell heavily and squarely on the superior judiciary who for the first time in the country working under the constitution and for the independence of judiciary were upholding the rule of law and protection of human rights...for once the people had hopes of justice in the country...this the self serving dictator and his cronies could not stand as it challenged and checked their illegal and unconstitutional power base. Musharraf had the nerve to say that one of the reasons for taking the extreme action, others being utter failure of his government to perform their roles and responsibilities and ensure law and order, was that the superior judiciary was holding the high government officials accountable for their failure to perform their duties and for continued violation of Human Rights...as a result the chief justice and all judges of the superior judiciary who refused to bow down to the dictator and his unconstitutional and illegal rule have been put under house arrest. We should demand for their immediate release and reinstatement. All those lawyers, journalists, HR activists and opposition political leaders should be immediately released. Lift ban on the media. General Musharraf and his cronies should resign with immediate effect and be tried for treason....the emergency should be lifted and a national consensus government put in place to hold free and fair elections.

The people cannot and will not tolerate Musharraf extend his illegal and unconstitutional rule any further...indeed he and his government has become a liability for the nation in general and the Pak Army in particular...we must stand up and be counted...this country is ours and will not let it go down...I suggest we continue building our struggle for restoration of the constitution through peaceful civil disobedience...the political parties must come out of their wait and see strategy and mobilize the people to come to the streets and join the lawyers, journalists and human rights activists' protests...the NGOs must suspend all projects that are implemented with the government until their demands are met and all those represented on government committees should resign from them immediately....we can make a difference and if not now then when...
Bushra Gohar