S.M
Many people have been writing here about how the emergency (readmartial law) impacts your life as a citizen of Pakistan. If you lookedat the headlines today (Sunday 11th November), you'll see just onemore way in which it does - 'Civilians can be court-martialled'.
What this means is that any one can be charged with treason,terrorism, sedition, attacking the president and even 'giving statements conducive to public mischief'. Some of these are 'new crimes' that have been added to the Pakistan Penal Code. According tothe DAWN report, this has been done since it is felt that the terrorism courts can not hold 'proper or speedy trials' of captured'terrorists'.
How is a military court different from a civilian court? In most countries, such as the US, a military court does not require aunanimous decision to convict the person on trial. A two-thirds majority is sufficient. These trials are held in secret and the rules for admission of evidence are not as strict as those for civiliantrials. Since the trials are secret, it is obvious that the jurors are not civilians (or peers of the civilian who is charged), but militaryofficials.*
One has to admit that the timing of this change in the Army Act (1952)is significant. At the moment thousands of lawyers and human rights activists are being held in jails, government schools and anywhere else available, for raising their voice against the brutality and injustice perpetrated by our government. God only knows what their fate will be.
When President Bush tried to get military tribunals to try suspected terrorists, the US Supreme Court overruled him. Our Supreme Court "judges" are not going to do that. The onus is on you, on us to overrule Musharraf. Be careful, stay safe, BUT, do not let him think that we will stand for this!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Judicial Travesty...
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8 comments:
Musharaf is behaving just like Sadam Hussain. there is no doubt that Musharaf is a CIA agent.
but sad thing is our stupid Generals are backing him.
let me write here what i foresee for Pakistan in future if things keep moving like this:
1. Civilians will be forcefully ruled, people raising voices will be snubbed by military courts
2. Americans will keep providing arms to Taliban's, directly or indirectly.
3. America being largest producer of Weapons will sale arms to Pakistan Army at the same time
4. These arms will be used from both sides to kill Muslims
5. Till the time when Pakistan Army will be morally and logistically deteriorated
6. Then armies of America will march in, unharmed.
7. People of Pakistan will great them on roads with flowers, for saving them from this traitor
8. America will search Musharaf like a rat and then take him to its courts
9.Musharaf & Pakistanis will be hanged, both separately. Suicide bombs will be fate of Pakistani’s. Another arena for erasing Muslims from the face of this earth will be unleashed.
10. Every Pakistani will be tagged by American Army to keep an eye on their movement. Young boys will be taken without notice. Young girls will be…
Sounds like history repeating itself, just with different names. I might be committing treason, but I hereby call Pakistan’s Army Officials to take some serious action against this Psycho Musharaf, because innocent people have trusted them with their wealth and life. You are the soldiers of Pakistan, the defenders, from any external or internal enemy. Wake UP!
There is no doubt that Musharaf is following the traits of Saddam Hussain. Let's just not sit with our fingers crossed but rise with a commitment to resist him in every way possible, and hope we do not end up with the fortune like of Iraqis. Forgo the attitude of " Hamein kya farq perta hai" and show ur dissent when u get a chance; as in if u dont finish it now, it will finish you later. I pray that in this hour of need Pakistani people should now start thinking as a nation rather than an individual.
I feel totally hopeless actually. I'm scared and worried about my fellow students, and my own and their family. I never thought Pakistan would come to this point during my lifetime.
That's how life is. We never think about how the worst things can happen to us, but they suddenly do. They creep onto us. This is creeping onto us pretty fast. And other than planning protests, that don't seem to work, I don't know what to do.
yeah current situation is not a good omen of what is about to come. But things can change. The only thing we can do now is protest in every manner. Even now i am taking time out and writing ,which i sporadically do, and your comments represent a form of struggle, which is better than doing nothing. My message to everyone in Pakistan is not to loose hope and continue registering protest.
the man has clearly lost his mind.the only hope now is that protests bring the whole country to a halt.at this moment I will gladly accept the most corrupt democratic government in his place.otherwise Pakistan in the new Iraq
the generals revolt against Musharraf?? wake up and smell the treason ppl...all high ranking army officials are backing Musharraf...anyone raising their voice against him are silently courtmartialed and made to vanish. amreeka is giving 70million dollars a month to the army to fight the so called war against terror...u think the generals who are used to eating haram will let go so easily?? their zameer is totally dead. the army has revolted against its own ppl. Remember the time when 2 assasination attempts were tried against Musharraf?? I really pray that they had worked! i know its wrong to wish anyone's death...but he's lead us to this point himself. The reason i'm so angry cuz a member of our family who's a lawyer was taken away and we have no idea where he is! before it starts effecting ure family (and I'm sure that it will very soon God forbid) plz stand up and protest!
Following is someone's comment on Imran Khan's interview on Capital talk on Nov 11th. I'm reprducing it here cuz its something everyone should understand. Very well put Mr. Tipu.
The link for the interview is:
http://pkpolitics.com/2007/11/10/capital-talk-with-imran-khan-10-november-07/
one must appreciate Hamid Mir as well..
excellent questions. He brought out the best in Imran…
I think, it is time that the educated in Pakistan understand the difference between politics of personality/group and politics of ideas…
politics of personality/group is when you become loyal to a person (BB/NS/Altaf) or a group (Sindhi/Pushton/Muhajir) and your politics is deicatated primarily by your loyalty. Thus, Altaf bhai cannot be wrong, or Bb cannot be wrong or Ns can never be right…so on. The right and wrong, support or opposition is decided on the basis of who is saying.
This type of poiltics is sometimes needed but in most cases it only leads to destruction. It does so because it is a politics of selfishness - where the self is enlarged to one’s group.
The politics of ideas is when what one stands for are ideas - democracy versus military rule, freedom of speech versus censorship,monarch versus republic, free judiciary versus tamed judiciary…etc.
In politics of ideas, judgement is based on ideas of politicians and support is extended or withdarwn on this basis.
In mature democracies, we see politics of ideas. That is why political parties are not known by the names of their leaders. Leaders come and go ideas stand. Labour stands for some ideas; democracts stand for some ideas; conservatives stand for some ideas.
In our situation, sadly, even the educated group, is still caught in the politics of personality/group. At his juncture in our history, there is a dire need that we discuss ideas and move towards politics of ideas. The forces that agree on certain idaes must unite to stand for those.
If this difference is understood by the educated elite, it then becomes their responsibility to try and expalin it to others so taht more and more people move towards the politics of ideas.
Without the politics of ideas, our loyalities will be based on ethinicities or personalities and we will always sacrifice the good of the nation for the parochial good of the ethincity or particular person.
Tipu
Reading ur blog made me remember a friend's comment that Pakistan is quickly turning into George Orwell's 1984, and the Army Act is a big step in that direction.
I also heard that they have sealed Shaukat Khanum Memorial. What a way to eradicate terrorism: close down a cancer hospital!! It must be a new low for Musharraf and his cronies
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