BRAVO - PAKISTAN'S JUDICIARY.
30 Years back in India when Alahbad High Court under its Chief Justice Sinha passed a verdict against Indira Gandhi, unseating her from her Parliamentary Seat for using fraudulent means to get elected, Indira Gandhi like a wounded Lioness got humiliated and immediately introduced Emergency Rule in India citing a fake excuse that national security is at stake. While on 20th of this month after the Supreme Court of Pakistan gave its landmark verdict of reinstating Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chawdry against the earlier decision of Gen. Musharraf of removing him from his post, Gen. Musharraf with his normal cool temperament graciously accepted the verdict of the Court. I salute Gen. Musharraf for his great heartedness of accepting judiciously the judgment of Pakistan’s Supreme Court. By accepting the court verdict Gen. Musharraf showed his willingness to follow the rule of law whether it is affecting his own credibility or not. By the way I strongly feel that by accepting the court verdict and allowing the earlier suspended Chief Justice Chawdry to resume his work in a normal way, Gen. Musharraf attained the status of a hero. If he was Indira Gandhi of 30 years back I feel he would act rash and put Pakistan as a nation into further chaos just like Indira Gandhi put India. By accepting the court verdict Gen. Musharraf silenced his critics and brought the country out of further turmoil. Accepting the verdict of Supreme Court, Gen. Musharraf accepted the decision of the referee and conceded the defeat very sportingly in a fair game.
Going still further, if Gen. Musharraf wanted to play mischief to satisfy his ego, he could have influenced the judiciary to succumb to his will exactly the way the late Gen. Zia had done for the late Premier of Pakistan, Zulfikhar Ali Bhutto. To get the verdict passed against Bhutto, Gen. Zia even went to the extent of making mockery of Pakistani Court by allowing to conduct the court proceedings minus one Judge. Bhutto was hanged thru the mischief of the Court while Chawdry Saab was reinstated thru the uprightness of Pakistani Judiciary plus that of the great heartedness of Gen. Musharraf.
Margaret Thatcher after the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein passed a remark that “never appeasement to the dictators” and rightly it should be. Dictators are dictators whether in civilian dress or in Military uniforms. They are always power hungry and to satisfy their urge for more and more powers they will do anything. I don’t know whether it was his own personal decision or he was advised by the Americans to surrender to the will of the Supreme Court but by doing this Gen. Musharraf put his opponents out of the track. It was a very clever move on the part of General. Pakistan is at the moment on the boiling point due to internal trouble and also due to the trouble at its borders touching Afghanistan. When this is the case, accepting silently the court verdict in favour of Justice Chawdry was a very prudent step Gen. Musharraf has taken and thus saved the country from further chaos. As it is, two gigantic opponents of General, both former Premiers of Pakistan are in readiness to pounce on him at any moment if he loosens the belt he is holding. Though his enemies are many craving for reintroduction of democracy yet his supporters for his dictatorship are also many who are his source of strength.
But, I feel before the point of saturation is reached vi-sa-vis people's aspirations for reintroduction of democracy in Pakistan, Gen. Musharraf must read the writings on the wall and submit to the wishes of the populace in Pakistan. After all the nation is important and not an individual. A genuine patriotic person will surrender to the will of the people instead of holding on to power acquired illegally. Otherwise, something which is attached illegally will also detach illegally. This is just a law of nature.
While concluding, let me salute Pakistani Judiciary for being fearless, independent and just.
A. Veronica Fernandes,
Kuwait.
