The Nth Battle Of Independence

Pakistan is fighting a battle for its independence. Yet again...

And the person who started it all – The ‘non-functional’ Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhury.

Summoned by President Musharraf for alleged malpractices and misuse of his position. Sacked for challenging the government for its wrong doings and the innumerable human rights violations. He was beginning to become a pain for the Prez. Sack him. End of story.

But how wrong he was. Since things happened a little differently than what he had fathomed.

Chaudhury was asked to renege his post as Chief Justice but refused to do so. He was kept under captivity for several hours at the Army House where he was summoned, before being allowed to leave. Thence he was kept under virtual house arrest with him and his family being confined to a single room. Phone lines were cut. No one was allowed to meet him.

Dictators consider themselves to be smart asses, probably because the power they command blinds them of all sense and sensibility, and they live in the fantasy world that the position that they enjoy will remain unchanged - no matter what.

Article 209 of the Pakistani Constitution mandates that the President has no powers to remove from office a Chief Justice, or any Judge for that matter. The matter needs to be referred to a Supreme Judicial Council via a referendum.

In Chaudhury’s support, lawyers across the country stayed away from courts. It was a landmark first where lawyers and law enforcers clashed - lawyers took to the streets in a showdown with baton wielding riot police. Police beat Geo TV journalists inside the station’s studios in Islamabad because they had been airing footage of lawyers covered in blood from injuries they had received during a demonstration in support of Chaudhury. The studio was ransacked and the TV journalists were tear gassed. Several lawyers and judges began mass resignations. The Pakistani Judiciary was on tenterhooks.

Media, both local and international erupted with criticism. And after a long time, or probably the first time Musharraf was forced to offer an unconditional apology.

And then May 12^th happened in Karachi. Chaudhury was to be in Karachi to address the Sindh High Court. Government tankers were used to block off routes to the airport, police and rangers were conspicuous by their absence or standing idle as armed men ran amok on the streets of Karachi, corpses and wounded bodies lying by the wayside in pools of blood. Supporters of Chaudhury flocking the route were fired at by these armed men in civilian clothes. It looked like the beginning of army rule in Karachi. 46 lives were lost in the carnage. But Musharraf justified the carnage by terming it the ‘political activity’ of a party attempting to show its strength to its constituency.

[Information has been sourced from http://www.teeth.com.pk/blog/2007/05/30/eyewitness-karachi-may-12-2007/
Check it out, it’s a shocking read!]

Chaudhury was again the centre of another massive anti-government extravaganza on May 26^th in Islamabad that held the entire nation in thrall. Chants of ‘Go Musharraf Go’ that began in the rally have now become a rage all over the country. And for the first time Musharraf is on the defensive, and telling the world as to why he should not quit.

Musharraf has failed to see that the movement has gone way beyond the lawyers. From a fight for an independent judiciary, it has now turned into a fight for democracy, a fight for independence. From him.

He better count his days in office. As far his reign goes, if this is not the end, this is certainly the beginning of the end.

SIES Guys Seriously rock Together

Yesterday night a few of our college mates met up for dinner at Satguru's in Chembur. And boy, what a time we had!

It was a tradition that began in the 4th semester, and two such outings per semester eventually became mandatory, the first before the vivas, the excuse being that a long stint of studies was coming up. And the second, after the mains, the excuse being that a long stint of studies was just done with!

It all began with a discussion during the PCOM practicals about the quality of the Pav Bhaji that Satguru doles out. It was one of the most intellectually stimulating discussions that we had in the whole of our PCOM practicals, since we never ever had anything better to do. And anyways, getting the output was obviously out of question.

And thats how it all started. With a modest beginning of five people which eventually swelled to 24 once. By now all the waiters and the owners of Satguru know what is in store for them when they see even a couple of these so called clowns from SIES walk in. Coz they know that the rest of the pack cant be far behind, and watch with sinking hearts as we begin setting up our bunker to launch a vicious onslaught of the most pathetically amazing (or is it amazingly pathetic?) PJ's on the unsuspecting mortals around.

But yesterday's was special for many reasons.
For one, it was the first time that the get together was not about any particular class (wonder why we didnt do this before.....). The clan was equally represented by all the three streams, COMPS, IT and EXTC.
And it was a reason for celebration, twice over - of Sunil getting a well deserved break with his admit from IIM C. And of Ragha's birthday gone by. And for Vikas being under the illusion that the Nalanda Law College is managed by Shishu Shikshan Samiti!

And as I and Neeraj were discussing on our way back home, for the sheer joy of being with your college mates once again. Many of us are working now. We would have made quite a few new friends as well. Work might be great, and fun too. But being with your people at the home turf is really something priceless. Rolling with laughter over atrocious PJ's that seem funny only to us. Making plans to go for the first day first show of the greatest ever moviiee to be made. All is so unique to our batch.

Borrowing the tag line from Sony, its

SIES GST
Like No Other...