While all this goes on all over the country, certain rather ridiculous perspectives keep raising heads in the background.
http://dawn.com/2007/05/11/local4.htm
Pagara sees martial law after rally on 12th
KARACHI, May 10: Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) chief Pir Pagara said on Thursday that if the May 12 rally saw an outbreak of violence and bloodshed, the ruling establishment would lose no time in declaring martial law.
Speaking at a press conference at Kingri House, he said the political party that had in the past advised its supporters to sell off their TV sets and buy arms would be totally responsible for any untoward incident that might occur during the rallies on Saturday.
He added that in Pakistan momentous decisions were taken in drawing rooms and not in rallies.
Known for making enigmatic statements, he told inquisitive newsmen: “Why are you talking about elections? You should talk about martial law. To my mind, its promulgation is round the corner.
“The army is with Gen Musharraf. The general is supposed to lead while a judge is supposed to dispense justice,” he said cryptically.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007\05\12\story_12-5-2007_pg7_13
Asghar asks Musharraf to resign, hand over power to CJP
ISLAMABAD: Tehrik-e-Istaqlal chief Air Marshal (r) Muhammad Asghar Khan on Friday advised President General Pervez Musharraf to resign from his office and handover power to Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Addressing a press conference at the Rawalpindi/Islamabad Press Club, he said the prevailing situation in the country was due to the military interference in politics.
Khan said people in Pakistan had no experience of launching a democratic movement for the establishment of a separate country. He said the nation respected army and considered it their protector. He, however, expressed his dismay over non-availability of a leader like the Quaid-e-Azam.
Reminiscing the past he said, during a 1947 meeting with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he remembered Jinnah raising his finger at army officers and reminding them, “You are the servants of Nation.”
He said if the army had not interfered in politics, the nation would have learned how to run democratic institutions.
“In 1965, the attack in Akhnor in Jammu instigated India to attack Pakistan. In 1971 the generals disintegrated the country but no action was taken against them,” he said.
He said the 1965 incident was replicated in Kargil and a nuclear war was imminent but the US’s interference averted the war.
Khan said if we did not learn a lesson from our mistakes we would lose the “remaining part.” He said the intelligence institutions had created favourable situation for the Taliban, adding that they were now unable to change the atmosphere.
He said there was no writ of the government and that both provincial and federal governments were helpless in the NWFP. “The central government is in confrontation with the lawyers’ community in Islamabad and the only course to resolve the crisis is to hand over power to the chief justice who should be responsible to hold elections in a three-month period,” Khan added.
And the other most important debate that goes on is regarding the ‘Freedom of Media’.
I havent seen any policy, code of conduct, professional ethics or patriotic inclinations or non-bias in the stance so far.
So much so that they even overlook the sensitivity and diff between accurate reporting and showing people dying on screen. I’m afraid Pakistani media is way immature and self-centered so far. Had there been no attack on Geo or no notices by Pemra, their stance would have been quite diff.
So I wonder, if and when we move on beyond this present CJ crisis, where would we stand as a nation?
Secondly, what weightage should be given to views such as the intellectual and farsighted views expressed by Pagara and Asghar Khan…? Is this our level of maturity, in thought, perception, responsibility and so on…?
these are removed from the syllabus..
