Three Crises: Economic, Political and Security
The most significant event since IRI’s last poll was the assassination of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Its impact on the political landscape has been significant, both as a setback to President Pervez Musharraf as well as a boost to her party’s numbers.
When asked if they felt that Bhutto’s death had weakened the federation, 93 percent agreed. Pakistanis also blamed the government for her death; 62 percent cited it as responsible for her assassination while only 13 percent blamed Al-Qaeda. This indicates a collapse in the government’s credibility among its citizens.
Pakistan is also facing economic difficulties; 94 percent agreed that the shortages of wheat, petrol and electricity were serious problems. These bread and butter issues remain the top concern in the minds of Pakistani voters. When presented with a number of issues and asked to select the most important in determining which party they would vote for, 77 percent chose an economy-related issue (inflation, unemployment, poverty and development). Inflation was the top issue, having been selected by 55 percent of the respondents.
Voters also indicated a rising concern about their economic well-being. Also important to voters, is the declining sense of security. Voters expressed concern regarding rising Islamic fundamentalism; 73 percent agreed that religious extremism is a serious problem in Pakistan. Further, 65 percent said that the Taliban and Al-Qaeda operating in the country is also a serious concern. However, only 33 percent of Pakistanis supported the Army fighting extremists in the Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and tribal areas and just nine percent felt that Pakistan should cooperate with the United States in its war on terror.
Social Indicators
Over the past year IRI polling has tracked a number of indicators in order to gauge the overall mood of the population. In February’s poll, these indicators hit all-time highs of pessimism, while optimism dropped to all-time lows.
∙ When asked about the direction that the country was headed, an all-time high of 84 percent said it was headed in the wrong direction while an all-time low of 15 percent said in the right direction; this represents a 14 point increase in the wrong direction number and an 11 point drop in the right direction number.
∙ When asked if their personal economic situation improved or worsened in the past year, 13 percent said improved, 72 percent said worsened and 14 percent said that it stayed the same. Again, these numbers represent all-time highs and lows. (more)
IRI Pakistan Index – Page Two
∙ When asked if they thought that their personal economic situation would improve or worsen over the course of the next year, 20 percent of those interviewed said improve, 48 percent said worsen and 20 percent said stay the same. The 48 percent who responded that their economic condition would worsen represents a 15 point increase since the last poll. Nearly half of the population is pessimistic about their economic future, and economic issues are front and center in the minds of voters.
∙ The worsening security environment has resulted in higher levels of insecurity; when asked if they felt more secure this year than they did last year, 12 percent said yes and 85 percent said no. This is a 19 point increase in the number of people saying they felt less secure since IRI’s last poll.
Leadership Ratings
President Musharraf’s political position has severely eroded, with his popularity and approval ratings falling to all-time lows. Since the last poll, he has made a number of moves that should have improved his position, including the ending of the state of emergency, resigning as Army Chief of Staff, assuming office as a civilian president and declaring elections. Whatever bounce he might have received from these actions disappeared in the wake of Bhutto’s assassination, the declining security situation and the worsening economy.
∙ The vast majority of Pakistanis want Musharraf out of office, with 75 percent wanting his resignation and 16 percent opposed; six percent replied maybe. The number calling for his resignation has increased eight points from the last poll.
∙ Musharraf’s job approval rating has hit a new low, with 15 percent saying they approved of the job he was doing and 72 percent saying they disapproved. His approval rating has been cut in half since the last poll, when it was at 30 percent.
∙ Musharraf’s overall popularity has also dropped, with only 16 percent saying they liked him; the number saying they liked him has declined by 12 points since the last survey.
∙ When Pakistanis were asked which one leader was the best person to handle the country’s problems, only eight percent named him this time around; this is a drop of 15 points since the last poll.
∙ When asked how they would feel about the future of the country if Musharraf resigned, 62 percent of the respondents said very good and another 17 percent said good, for a combined 79 percent. (more)
IRI Pakistan Index – Page Three
∙ The political and economic crises have also impacted the government’s ratings. When asked how the government performed on issues most important to them, 18 percent rated the government positively and 80 percent did not; 52 percent rated the government’s performance in the most negative category of very poor. When asked if the ruling coalition had done a good enough job to deserve re-election, 29 percent said yes and 62 percent said no. In the wake of Bhutto’s death, there is a leadership vacuum. For the time being, PPP vice-chair Makhdom Amin Fahim is filling that void. However, Bhutto’s husband and current party co-chair Asif Zardari and their son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari both have ratings that make them among the most popular in the country.
∙ When asked who they would prefer to lead PPP until Bilawal Bhutto Zardari comes of age, 66 percent chose Makhdom Amin Fahim. Fahim was also the choice of 77 percent to be PPP’s candidate for prime minister.
∙ When asked if they liked or disliked various political personalities, 66 percent said they liked Makhdom Amim Fahim, 55 percent said they liked Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, and 37 percent said they liked Zardari. Jailed lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan was liked by 37 percent as well, an increase of 24 percent since the last survey.
Previous IRI polls asked voters to choose the one person they believed could best handle the problems facing Pakistan. In the February survey, this question was open-ended in an attempt to ascertain which leaders were first and foremost in the minds of Pakistanis.
∙ Makhdom Amin Fahim led the field with 32 percent with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chair Nawaz Sharif coming in second at 23 percent. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari (14 percent), Musharraf (eight percent), and former Chief Minister of Punjab Pervez Elahi (five percent) rounded out the top five.
∙ In a province-by-province match-up, Nawaz Sharif led the field in Punjab with 31 percent and Makhdom Amin Fahim was number one in Sindh with 57 percent. Nawaz Sharif led in the NWFP with 27 percent, while Bilawal (24 percent) and Makhdom Amin Fahim (20 percent) were first and second in Balochistan.
Elections
As mentioned before, Bhutto’s death greatly impacted the political landscape. Nowhere is that more apparent than in questions about the upcoming elections. Her PPP is currently benefiting from both a wave of sympathy as well as a backlash against the government. (more)
IRI Pakistan Index – Page Four
∙ Interest in the elections remains high. When asked if they were planning on voting, 90 percent of respondents said that they were either very or somewhat likely to vote.
∙ When asked if they supported the delay in the elections from its original date to February 18, Pakistanis were surprisingly split, with 51 percent saying that they supported the delay while 43 percent opposed.
∙ However, when they asked why they thought the elections had been delayed, 57 percent said that it was because Musharraf feared that Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) would not win, while 39 percent said that it was due to legitimate security concerns.
∙ When asked if they would support a postponement of the elections for up to one year, voters were overwhelmingly opposed: 85 percent said they would oppose such a postponement. The idea of President Musharraf resigning and the elections being held under a unity government had the support of 69 percent.
∙ When asked which party they would vote for, PPP topped the field, garnering 50 percent in the national sample. PML-N was second with 22 percent and PML-Q came in third with 14 percent.
∙ PPP’s wave carried through all of the provinces: in Punjab, PPP led with 44 percent, with PML-N in second at 32 percent and PML-Q a distant third with 19 percent; in Sindh, PPP far outdistanced the field with 74 percent; in NWFP, PPP led with 37 percent, PML-N came in second with 18 percent, and Awami National Party (ANP) in third with 12 percent; in Balochistan, PPP garnered 44 percent, with PML-Q a distant second with 15 percent.
∙ Regardless of the actual outcome, Pakistanis have already made up their minds that PML-Q should not win. When asked which party would win the most seats if the elections were free and fair, 58 percent responded PPP, 22 percent said PML-N and 13 percent said PML-Q. Further, when asked if they would think that the election was free and fair or rigged in the event that PML-Q was announce to have won the most seats, 79 percent said that they would think that the election was rigged. And when asked if they would support protests against the government in the event that PML-Q was announced as the winner, 55 percent replied yes, indicating a potential for post-election turmoil should that event occur.
The Next Government
IRI’s survey also probed different configurations of the next government. With a hung parliament (no party having a clear majority of seats) being a real possibility, it will likely require a partnership of two or more parties in order to form a ruling coalition. (more)
IRI Pakistan Index – Page Five
∙ When asked if they preferred the Mutehida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to remain partnered with PML-Q or join PPP and PML-N, 58 percent replied PPP/PML-N while 25 percent replied PML-Q.
∙ IRI’s poll also tested potential ruling coalition partnerships. When asked to choose their preference of three potential match-ups, a PML-Q/PML-N coalition received the support of nine percent, while PPP/PML-Q was the choice of 11 percent. Far out in front was a hypothetical PPP/PML-N ruling coalition, with 72 percent selecting it as their choice. PPP voters preferred the PML-N partnership with 89 percent; likewise, PML-N voters preferred the PPP partnership with 88 percent support; PML-Q voters preferred their party partner with PPP (51 percent) rather than PML-N (37 percent).
∙ When asked to choose their top choice for prime minister, 56 percent opted for PPP’s Makhdom Amin Fahim, while 15 percent chose PML-N’s Javed Hashmi and 12 percent supported PML-Q’s Pervez Elahi.
The Army
The Pakistan Army has long been the most respected institution in the country; in IRI’s first few polls its favorability rating was consistently at the 80 percent level. In the last poll, however, the Army’s rating dropped to 55 percent. In IRI’s February poll, the Army has rebounded somewhat to 65 percent.
When Pakistanis were asked if the performance of Musharraf affected their opinion of the Army, 57 percent said that Musharraf’s performance caused them to now have a lower opinion of the Army. This 57 percent represents an increase of 16 points since the last survey, when only 41 percent said that his actions had resulted in a lower opinion of the Army. The fact that the Army’s overall approval rating has risen by 10 points since the last survey could be a result of Musharraf’s resignation as Army Chief and the assumption of the role by General Pervez Kiyani. When asked if they liked or disliked various personalities, 25 percent said they liked the new Army Chief; this is an increase of 20 percent since the last survey.
Finally, respondents expressed a desire for the separation of military and state; 69 percent agreed that the Army should not play a role in civilian government.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
IRI: Details of Latest Survey
Pakistan Judges Remain Under Arrest Before Election
New York, NY, USA, 9 February 2008 (InformPress.com) - The continueddetention of independent judges, the recent re-arrests of lawyers on spurious grounds and the large-scale induction of Pervez Musharraf's appointees into Pakistan's judiciary will have a serious impact on the credibility of the national elections scheduled for February 18, [2008], Human Rights Watch [HRW] said today.
Under Pakistani law, the Supreme Court is the final arbiter over any claims of election irregularities and controversies. Judicial review of the decisions of the Election Commission can be sought in the High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
"Days before Pakistan goes to the polls, its lawful Chief Justice [Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry] and his children remain under illegal house arrest, as do many lawyers who would likely challenge election-rigging in the courts," said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human RightsWatch. "Musharraf's systematic destruction of legal institutions has seriously compromised the upcoming elections."
Since November 3, [2007], deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, his family and five other Supreme Court justices who also refused to accept Musharraf's suspension of the Constitutionand declaration of a state of Emergency have remained under illegal house arrest. Judges at other levels of the judiciary were also deposed and repeatedly face arbitrary detention. Meanwhile, Musharraf has replaced dozens of arbitrarily fired judges with his own nominees.
Leaders of the lawyers' movement - including Supreme Court Bar Association [SCBA] President Aitzaz Ahsan, retired Justice Tariq Mehmood and former Bar Council Vice Chairman Ali Ahmed Kurd - were detained under the colonial-era Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance(MPO). They remain under house arrest. The Pakistani Constitution prohibits detention under the MPO for more than 90 days. The government released them on January 31 [2008] on expiry of that period, but arbitrarily re-arrested them 48 hours later under a fresh MPO order.
"The re-arrest of these lawyers is a disgrace and makes it clear that Musharraf is determined to ensure that many of his fiercest critics are locked up before the election," said Adams. "Musharraf must release the lawyers and judges immediately."
In 2007, the movement of lawyers and the growing independence of the nation's judiciary had made genuine progress in putting Pakistan back on the path to the rule of law and raised hopes for a free election, Human Rights Watch said. That ended when Musharraf announced his state of Emergency on November 3 [2007].
Under the revised Constitution, unilaterally imposed by Musharraf, the government now has powers to disbar lawyers involved in peaceful anti-government activities, and the military can now try civilians for awide range of offenses previously under the purview of the country's judiciary, including charges as vague as causing "public mischief."
Human Rights Watch noted that such a repressive political environment thwarts any possibility that elections, scheduled for February 18,[2008], could be free or fair.
"The government has warned it will not tolerate the 'politics of agitation'," said Adams. "Such restrictions are contrary to human rights law at the best of times and absolutely unacceptable in the middle of an election."
Rigging in successive elections by the Pakistani military has been well-documented. The emergence of an independent judiciary in Pakistan last year provided the best hope in decades for a fair election. But the dismantling of that judiciary shows Musharraf's bad faith in the months before these elections.
"A real election campaign is impossible when a country's military government deposes the legitimate judiciary, replaces lawful judgeswith its hand-picked supporters and keeps its chief critics under arrest," said Adams.
Human Rights Watch criticized the United States and the United Kingdom, which consider Musharraf an indispensable ally in the "war of terror," for failing to press for the restoration of the independent judiciary headed by Chief Justice Chaudhry. Both countries should urge the immediate release of all persons arbitrarily detained and a returnto genuine constitutional rule in Pakistan.
"In other parts of the world, the U.S. and UK wax eloquently about the need for an independent judiciary and pressure governments to respect this principle," said Adams. "Yet [U.S.] President [George W.] Bushand [UK] Prime Minister [Gordon] Brown seem to have a double standard where Musharraf is concerned."
Pakistan Judges Remain Under Arrest Before Election
New York, NY, USA, 9 February 2008 (InformPress.com) - The continueddetention of independent judges, the recent re-arrests of lawyers on spurious grounds and the large-scale induction of Pervez Musharraf's appointees into Pakistan's judiciary will have a serious impact on the credibility of the national elections scheduled for February 18, [2008], Human Rights Watch [HRW] said today.
Under Pakistani law, the Supreme Court is the final arbiter over any claims of election irregularities and controversies. Judicial review of the decisions of the Election Commission can be sought in the High Court and the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
"Days before Pakistan goes to the polls, its lawful Chief Justice [Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry] and his children remain under illegal house arrest, as do many lawyers who would likely challenge election-rigging in the courts," said Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human RightsWatch. "Musharraf's systematic destruction of legal institutions has seriously compromised the upcoming elections."
Since November 3, [2007], deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, his family and five other Supreme Court justices who also refused to accept Musharraf's suspension of the Constitutionand declaration of a state of Emergency have remained under illegal house arrest. Judges at other levels of the judiciary were also deposed and repeatedly face arbitrary detention. Meanwhile, Musharraf has replaced dozens of arbitrarily fired judges with his own nominees.
Leaders of the lawyers' movement - including Supreme Court Bar Association [SCBA] President Aitzaz Ahsan, retired Justice Tariq Mehmood and former Bar Council Vice Chairman Ali Ahmed Kurd - were detained under the colonial-era Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance(MPO). They remain under house arrest. The Pakistani Constitution prohibits detention under the MPO for more than 90 days. The government released them on January 31 [2008] on expiry of that period, but arbitrarily re-arrested them 48 hours later under a fresh MPO order.
"The re-arrest of these lawyers is a disgrace and makes it clear that Musharraf is determined to ensure that many of his fiercest critics are locked up before the election," said Adams. "Musharraf must release the lawyers and judges immediately."
In 2007, the movement of lawyers and the growing independence of the nation's judiciary had made genuine progress in putting Pakistan back on the path to the rule of law and raised hopes for a free election, Human Rights Watch said. That ended when Musharraf announced his state of Emergency on November 3 [2007].
Under the revised Constitution, unilaterally imposed by Musharraf, the government now has powers to disbar lawyers involved in peaceful anti-government activities, and the military can now try civilians for awide range of offenses previously under the purview of the country's judiciary, including charges as vague as causing "public mischief."
Human Rights Watch noted that such a repressive political environment thwarts any possibility that elections, scheduled for February 18,[2008], could be free or fair.
"The government has warned it will not tolerate the 'politics of agitation'," said Adams. "Such restrictions are contrary to human rights law at the best of times and absolutely unacceptable in the middle of an election."
Rigging in successive elections by the Pakistani military has been well-documented. The emergence of an independent judiciary in Pakistan last year provided the best hope in decades for a fair election. But the dismantling of that judiciary shows Musharraf's bad faith in the months before these elections.
"A real election campaign is impossible when a country's military government deposes the legitimate judiciary, replaces lawful judgeswith its hand-picked supporters and keeps its chief critics under arrest," said Adams.
Human Rights Watch criticized the United States and the United Kingdom, which consider Musharraf an indispensable ally in the "war of terror," for failing to press for the restoration of the independent judiciary headed by Chief Justice Chaudhry. Both countries should urge the immediate release of all persons arbitrarily detained and a returnto genuine constitutional rule in Pakistan.
"In other parts of the world, the U.S. and UK wax eloquently about the need for an independent judiciary and pressure governments to respect this principle," said Adams. "Yet [U.S.] President [George W.] Bushand [UK] Prime Minister [Gordon] Brown seem to have a double standard where Musharraf is concerned."
Pakistan: Election Commission Not Impartial
Electoral Machinery Controlled by Musharraf Appointees
(New York, February 12, 2008) – The failure of Pakistan's Election Commission to act on allegations of irregularities means the electoral machinery for national elections due on February 18, 2008 cannot be considered impartial, Human Rights Watch said today. The structure of the commission, which has wide powers to investigate complaints and take action, also suggests it will not rule fairly in the election.
Since the official election period commenced in November 2007, the Election Commission of Pakistan has ignored allegations of widespread irregularities, including arrests and harassment of opposition candidates and party members, and the misuse of state resources, administration and state machinery to the advantage of candidates backed by President Pervez Musharraf.
"There have been numerous complaints of improper government assistance to the ruling party and illegal interference with opposition activities," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "But the election commission has done nothing significant to address these problems, raising serious questions about its impartiality."
Human Rights Watch said that the Election Commission has taken virtually no action on the widespread harassment of opposition candidates through the registration of police cases against them, police obstruction of opposition rallies, and the removal of lawful opposition banners and billboards.
Human Rights Watch has documented the involvement of the local administration in helping Musharraf-backed candidates, particularly in Punjab and Sindh provinces. For example:
In Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, the police have illegally put up banners and posters for the Musharraf-backed Pakistan Muslim League-(Q) (PML-Q) and torn down the electoral symbols of the opposition.
On December 10, 2007, a television cameraman in Gahno Khose, Sindh province, who filmed police providing illegal assistance to the district mayor, deputy mayor, town police officer, executive district officer and caretaker ministers during an electoral campaign told Human Rights Watch that the mayor's men snatched his camera and warned him against broadcasting the report. Police then threatened to lodge criminal cases against him. "I was afraid and informed my organization. They told me to keep quiet and took on the responsibility of talking to the concerned people," he said. "They didn't lodge [a criminal case] against me, but I am receiving further threats."
On December 26, 2007, police in Gujrat city, Punjab, prevented opposition Pakistan Muslim League-(N) (PML-N) candidates from preparing for a reception for their leader Nawaz Sharif, citing oral "orders from above." Municipal administration staff overnight removed PML-N banners around the city. Police prevented the PML-N's Gujrat youth wing from announcing Sharif's arrival, confiscated their loudspeakers and detained six activists for several hours. Chaudhry Mohammad Faraz, the PML-N general secretary in Gujrat, told Human Rights Watch, "Police blocked all roads leading to the venue to stop people from welcoming Nawaz Sharif, from Jalalpur Jattan, Fatehpur, Shadiwal, Kunja and Bhimber. People had to come on foot, one by one."
On the night of December 20, 2007, unknown persons fired upon the PML-N office set up in the residence of Muhammad Afzal at Mohallah Kaloo Pura, Gujrat, after an anonymous telephone call telling Afzal to close the office down. Police did not collect evidence or register a complaint.
In Thatta district, Sindh province, police have been obstructing the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) by not giving security clearance to its candidates to hold public meetings. The PPP's Sassui Palijo, the only directly elected opposition party member in Thatta district, told Human Rights Watch that the administration has been interfering in their campaigns since the previous local bodies' elections. "Now they are doing it again. They remove flags, banners after our party workers put them up. … We tell the election commission everything and show them evidence every three days. But they have done nothing to help us at all so far." Palijo said that a PPP worker, Nawaz Ali Shah Qudusani, had to "go underground" after he went ahead with a rally that the local mayor had warned him against holding; police raided his house and arrested three people.
In its update of February 9, the Fair and Free Election Network (FAFEN), an independent coalition of nongovernmental organizations with observers in more than 260 districts around the country, said that one of the most frequent complaints they have received is of "police harassing candidates and/or workers of certain political parties by threatening that they will register cases against them. In addition, police are asking supporters and candidates of political parties who formed the opposition during the previous government to stop campaigning. In some cases, FAFEN observers reported that police had directly asked candidates and local government representatives to announce their support to the [Musharraf-backed] PML-Q." Observers from FAFEN have gathered reports of intimidation and harassment by the police or other security agency districts in all provinces.
Extensive government transfers and postings of judges and other officials across the country violate legal provisions banning postings and transfers after the announcement of the election schedule, which took place on November 20, 2007. The Election Commission has failed to stop or reverse transfers of district judges; the government has put in place judges who independent observers fear could compromise investigations into electoral malpractice. The government appointed 59 civil judges in early January across the North West Frontier Province. Eleven civil judges were transferred. As well as investigating complaints, district judges are also responsible for aggregating the vote count on polling day.
In addition, Human Rights Watch has records of at least 90 transfers of officials in Sindh province. After the announcement of the election schedule, several police officers were transferred across Sindh. Some were posted as station house officers (SHOs) to police stations of Kharipur district in Sindh. When the assistant election commissioner (AEC) in Jacobabad, Sindh, Liaquat Ali Afridi, refused to change polling procedures or reduce the number of polling stations from 259 to 226, he was transferred and replaced with Hisaam Soomro, a relative of the caretaker prime minister in Sindh.
Candidates have sent in more than 1,500 complaints of irregularities from around the country, few of which have been investigated. Even visible violations, like the use of electoral banners on government offices, have been ignored. The secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Kunwar Dilshad, denied responsibility, telling Human Rights Watch that the commission, which is dependent on the district-level judiciary to investigate these complaints, is helpless to investigate or act if judges send no evidence.
The Election Commission's lack of independence and impartiality is among the crucial structural issues impeding free and fair elections. The president currently appoints the chief election commissioner and the other commission members. The election law requires members of the Election Commission, an ad hoc body, to be High Court judges; their part-time status in the Election Commission compromises their effectiveness. Two were appointed after Musharraf imposed a state of emergency on November 3, calling into question their impartiality. For example, Justice Ghulam Dastagir Shahani, a lawyer with no judicial experience, was appointed to the Sindh High Court on December 14 and to the Election Commission on January 5, by Musharraf, although more experienced judges were available. The current chief election commissioner, Qazi Muhammad Farooq, a retired Supreme Court judge, called his impartiality into question when he amended the rules of the presidential polls of October 2007 to allow Musharraf to contest the election while still army chief, in violation of a clear constitutional prohibition.
The Election Commission has ignored recommendations made by international observers, including the European Union, such as changing the method of appointment of the chief election commissioner and other members to ensure their impartiality. A key recommendation from international election monitors in past elections relates to the vote count aggregation and delays in announcement between results at polling stations and the final result. Problems identified in the past have included the provision of results at polling stations on unofficial papers. Transparency would be greatly improved if certified copies of each polling station result (compiled on form XVI) and aggregated results (compiled on form XVII) were made immediately available to the media, candidates, polling agents, and observers.
Under Pakistani law, the president cannot hold a party political affiliation and is obliged to be neutral in parliamentary elections. In the past, the presidency has been a largely ceremonial post and seen as "above" party politics. But, since taking power in a coup in 1999, Musharraf has radically changed the constitution to increase the powers of the presidency at the expense of parliamentary powers, at the same time creating and supporting a political party, thePML-Q, to serve his interests.
While Musharraf maintains that he has installed a neutral caretaker government to oversee elections, he has openly supported the PML-Q and its allied parties, and formed a caretaker government filled with PML-Q office-bearers and members. On December 17 Musharraf asked participants at a public meeting in Vehari town in southern Punjab to vote for parties that support him. Billboards in the central city of Lahore and elsewhere in Punjab province advertising development projects carry Musharraf's photograph as well as that of outgoing chief minister Parvaiz Elahi, Punjab, provincial president of the PML-Q.
Prime Minister Mianmohammad Soomro, Information and Broadcasting Minister Nisar Memon and Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination, Dr. Muhammad Amjad, are prominent members of the PML-Q. Roshan Khurshid Bharucha, another PML-Q member, is not only a minister in the Balochistan provincial caretaker government, but is also running as a candidate, violating election rules that prohibit members of the caretaker government at the national and provincial level from contesting elections.
"The Election Commission should be quickly investigating all credible allegations of electoral irregularities, whether they relate to violence or misuse of state resources," said Adams. "Instead of using its legal powers and moral authority to address these matters, the commission appears to be sitting on its hands."
An eyewitness account of the brutalities at the isb protest
"It's just a rock, I'm fine. Don't worry." I said to my friend standing next to me, blinking from the pain, as a broken piece of a brick hit me square in my shin. We were at the capital of our country, trying to reach the house of our Chief Justice held captive by a brutal dictator. The extent of his brutality, we were just beginning to get a taste of.
This was a procession of over 1500 lawyers, students, civil society members, gathered to protest against the blatant usurpation of our judicial institution, our media, as well as our fundamental rights. There were around 150 of us who had come from Lahore to join in today's protest. Marching on to the judge's enclave, we were chanting slogans, singing songs "na mera Pakistan hay, na tera Pakistan hay; yeh uska Pakistan hay jo sadr-e-pakistan hay…" [This not my Pakistan, this is not your Pakistan; this is that person's Pakistan, who calls himself the president of Pakistan…] followed by proclamations of our struggle to get our country back. "Freedom is ours, if you don't give it to us upon asking we will take it..." Wherever you looked, you saw people who had come together, united to fight for the collective good. Stating it was enough, we will no longer be silenced. We will no longer hold back, or bow our heads low.
What for many in Islamabad had become common at protests, for us from Lahore was a first. The treatment meted to us from the police in our city is worlds apart. The recognition that the police itself is oppressed and exploited is adamant amongst the students of Lahore. A suo moto notice had to be issued by a pco-judge in Lahore to get the police to arrest us-the students. The police here was something else.
I was towards the front of the procession, when we saw smoke, and ran backwards thinking it was tear gas. Soon we realized it was fire trucks positioned to hose down protestors with cold water in this chilly weather. They kept hitting us with cold, high pressure water in vain. When it became evident that we would keep going nevertheless, the police started shelling us with tear gas. Most of us smelled CS gas for the first time as we ran backwards experiencing its excruciating effects. A friend had held my hand and almost dragged me along as we ran backwards. Don't breathe. Don't fall. Don't stop. I kept repeating to myself as my throat, eyes, and nose lit on fire. I ran as far back as possible. The spoiled, protected and sheltered girl that I was, nothing even close to this viciousness had touched me before.
It was a surreal feeling as I stood on the very periphery, panting through my scratched throat and rubbing my burning eyes. This was only the beginning. I saw people coming back, drenched. Saw an Auntie who had fallen in a puddle. Saw a girl about my age screaming at the top of her lungs at the police meant to protect us, the people. I found myself craving to be up there, at the front, with my fellows, facing the onslaught. I did not come here as an audience to watch the show from the sidelines, a voice from deep within asserted. And I advanced. Whilst screaming GO MUSHARRAF GO at the top of my lungs. Who was where, who was who; nothing mattered.
While everyone was trying to regroup, some other girls and I started chanting louder than we had ever known our voices to reach, "LATHI GOLI KI SARKAAR, NAHI CHALAY GI NAHI CHALAY GI; YEH DEHSHET GARDI KI SARKAAR, NAHI CHALAY GI NAHI CHALAY GI" [this government of brute force and coercion, we do not accept we do not accept; this terrorist government, we do not accept we do not accept] and we marched. Amidst tear gas, amidst burning and itching throats, amidst pelting stones; nothing was going to stop us.
It was a battle field. It was us the people against them the colonizers—our military state. A broken piece of a brick hit me, I shrugged it off. A much bigger brick hit the girl next to me on her hip and left her limping for a while, she didn't stop. There were lawyers who would come in front of us whenever stones would be thrown our way. Yes, many of our serving police specifically targeted the women. We went on. There were students who would pick up the falling gas bombs spewing the poisonous gas, run to the police as close as possible and drop it back on them. Many would come back staggering almost falling from the effects of the gases, whom we would have to hold up and give salt to, and back they would go to do more. The police would retreat as tear gas bombs hit them, and the people would cheer and dance. Then many more would be thrown at us, and back to work for all of us. For over two hours the police could not advance on us.
As the situation intensified, so did our chants. "Musharraf ka jo yaar hay, ghaddar hay ghaddar hay; biknay ke liye jo tayyar hay, ghaddar hay ghaddar hay. YEH POLICE BHI GHADDAR HAY, YEH POLICE BHI GHADDAR HAY, YEH POLICE BHI GHADDAR HAY" [Whoever is a friend to Musharraf, is a traitor, is a traitor; whoever is a willing to sell out, is a traitor, is a traitor. This Police is traitor, this police is a traitor, this police is a traitor]. Ultimately the police stormed us. A certain police officer who was especially targeting women ran after me full force. I took cover inside a house to save myself. Never have I run so fast in my life. Many were beaten up, some had to be hospitalized. Today was more than just another protest. In the midst of raw emotions, hurt limbs and hoarse throats, the only thing that mattered was the wrong being done to us. Indignant, and offended at this treatment; our protest very much was for human dignity. And more than anything else, the sensitivity that this now offended dignity of ours cannot even compare to the years of torment and subhuman treatment that most of our people in this country have endured. Well no more. Passivity that translates into consent and complicity, never again!
Musharraf's Approval Rating Plummets
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, February 11, 2008; A09
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 10 -- A week before Pakistanis vote in parliamentary elections, President Pervez Musharraf's popularity has hit an all-time low and opposition parties seem capable of a landslide victory that could jeopardize his efforts to cling to power, according to a poll to be released Monday.
The poll found that just 15 percent of Pakistanis approve of Musharraf's job performance, exactly half the number who expressed approval in November. The two main opposition parties, meanwhile, had the backing of a combined 72 percent of those surveyed.
If Musharraf's allies do not succeed in rigging the election results in their favor, such broad-based support could give the opposition enough seats in the new parliament for the two-thirds majority needed to impeach the president.
"If a coalition of revenge gets a two-thirds majority, he's done. Absolutely done," said C. Christine Fair, a senior political analyst at the Rand Corp. research institution.
The poll results are the latest in a series of troubling indicators for Musharraf. In recent months, he has suspended the constitution, fired many judges on the Supreme Court and engineered a legally dubious reelection in his quest to stay in power.
While the constitution has since been restored, Musharraf's repeated crackdowns against political opponents, the judiciary and the mass media have turned the public adamantly against him. A year ago, most Pakistanis supported him. Now, three-quarters say they want him to resign.
"I don't know if his numbers could go any lower," said Robert Varsalone, country director for the International Republican Institute, the nonprofit, U.S.-based organization that conducted the poll. "He's probably at his floor."
Varsalone and another staffer for the institute, which includes prominent Republicans on its board, were forced to leave Pakistan last week after the government failed to renew their visas. The group has released a series of polls charting Musharraf's decline and has come under intense government pressure as a result.
The poll of 3,845 adults was conducted Jan. 19-29 and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 1.69 percentage points.
There are widespread fears in Pakistan that Musharraf and his allies will rig next Monday's vote. But the institute's poll indicated that that could be a perilous step. A majority of those surveyed said they would back protests against the government if Musharraf's party is announced as the winner. Only 14 percent said they planned to vote for the main pro-Musharraf party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Q.
Party spokesman Tariq Azim Khan conceded that it may lose seats next Monday but said Musharraf's allies would reap the benefits of incumbency and predicted that the PML-Q "will still be the single largest party" after the elections.
The institute's poll strongly indicates otherwise. The Pakistan People's Party, long led by Benazir Bhutto, appears to have gained substantial support since the former prime minister was assassinated in December. Half of those surveyed said they planned to vote for the PPP, with the next highest total, 22 percent, going to an opposition party led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Such support could give the PPP and Sharif a powerful coalition, should they choose to work together against a president both have often condemned.
The institute's poll calls into question the belief of U.S. officials that the elections will produce a hung parliament, with power divided among the three major parties as well as a handful of smaller ethnic and religious parties. In an interview Friday, a senior U.S. intelligence official predicted that no two opposition parties would get the 66 percent necessary to impeach Musharraf or change the constitution.
Musharraf remains "very strong" and the "key political figure" in Pakistan, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The United States has steadfastly backed Musharraf over the past year, even as many Pakistanis have begun to look beyond him.
"Even before Benazir's assassination there was a strong and growing feeling that Musharraf had run his course," said Isobel Coleman of the Council on Foreign Relations. "People are generally fed up with him and with the state Pakistan is in right now."
In addition to his heavy-handed tactics, Musharraf has been hurt by rising inflation, electricity shortages and surging violence among Islamic extremists.
Musharraf is not the only one whose popularity has been damaged: Support in Pakistan for al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has fallen from 46 percent in August to 24 percent now, according to a separate poll released Sunday.
The survey, conducted by the U.S.-based nonprofit group Terror Free Tomorrow, found that the Taliban has experienced a similar drop, with support at 19 percent, half of what it was last summer.
Islamic extremists have dramatically escalated their campaign of terrorism over the past six months, and there are deep concerns in Pakistan that the violence could worsen ahead of next week's vote.
Wright reported from Washington.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
An Email from Justice Nawaz Gandapur
Justice Jawaid Nawaz Gandapur was one of the judges dismissed after his refusal to take oath under the first PCO in 1999. This is an email of his to the list administrator of People's Resistance.
Dear Sir,
This is Justice Jawaid Nawaz Gandapur, Axed judge of Peshawar High Court, Peshawar. I, amoungst others superior court judges, am the victom of the 1st PCO(2000) as I had refused to take oath. Unfortunately at that time only a few judges (12) had refused to take fresh oath and the rest of them oblidged the martial law govt. by taking oath. Little realizing as to what was in store for them. In 2007, most of those judges (65) have been axed. Had they not taken oath earlier in 2000, the martial law government of the dismissed General Musharaf could not have been validated and Pakistan would have been saved from the critical situation in which it finds itself today.
Had I taken oath at that time I might have been the Chief Justice of Pakistan and would be retiring on 17th of this month. The present Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Doger is far Junior to me in service.
Alhamdu Lillah I have faced the ruthless dictator having no scrouples at all to the best of my ability therefore I feel that it is my privilege to get emails regarding the requsit details about the happenings in Pakistan which is being printed abroad. Shall be happy and pleased to recieve your emails etc.
Best wishes & Regards,
ALLAH HAFIZ.
Justice Jawaid Nawaz,
Khan Gandapur.
Gandapur House, Phase-2, Hayatabad, Peshawar.
Pakistan.0321-8598080 / 0300-8598080
Solidarity Rally eyewitness account
The car rally left ch az' house at 730am and after briefly stopping at Gujranwala and Gujrat the rally reached the lawyers' convention in islamabad and finally converged at the islamabad residence of ch AZ in F6/3.
At the convention a historic resolution was passed by the Pakistan Bar Council declaring total boycott of all the courts (pco judges, civil courts and district courts) from monday (11th) till the elections.
Charged with this monumental decision the lawyers and civil society (including members of CCP from lahore and other cities) assembled at AZ's residence, and started their march towards CJP's house.
A good 1000 to 1500 strong, courageously marched ahead infront of marriot hotel up the ministers' enclave.
Police barricades were set up infront of the Baluchistan house. Police brutality started when they opened water canons on unarmed and harmless civil society and lawyers including women. Ghazalla Minallah, Qasim (CCP) and Aasim sajjad were some of the people who braved this first onslaught. Finding the crowd undetered and charged police started shelling tear gas (actually some lethal poisonous gas) which took its toll and the charging crowds had to retreat in pain. However, even this lethal gas did not deter the bold, energetic and brave youngsters who threw the tear gas shells back at the police.
People recharged and marched up against the brutal police again and again in the face of shelling and stone /brick pelting.
It was a state of war right infront of marriot hotel. After several hot clashes over two hours, leaving many injured, the heartless shielded police charged upon the unarmed, injured but brave and honourable people of Pakistan with batons (lathi charged). This left no choice with the people who retreated with anger, cursing pervaiz musharraf and his unconstitutional dictatorship.
Athar minallah and twelve others were arrested. The police followed the fleeing members of the civil society and lawyers all the way to the residence of Ch AZ and also dared to go inside the house to beat a nephew of ch az and forcibly take away the driver of ch az.
Athar and others were taken from one place to another. Finally athar and salman cheema (az's nephew) ended up at the I/9 thana while others were in secretariat and gojra thanas.
Athar and salman cheema were released late last night, the others ( most of them) are still under detention without any charge.
I salute the brave people of Pakistan for standing up for their freedom and making it clear to the dictator that no one is above the law.
People of Pakistan are coming after you Mr Musharaff take cover.
Rise of Pakistan owner being threatened with reprisal
A contributing member of "Rise of Pakistan" blog is being constantly threatened for previous few days, warned of "harsh" treatment and serious consequences if he doesn't stops contributing to this blog.
Threats are being made in a very periodic fashion from a cell phone number "0321-6147223".
RiseOfPakistan.blogspot.com is maintained by Alumni & current students of LUMS. It has generated much traffic since Nov 3, 2007, for airing views against the imposition of 'Martial Law', deposition of higher judiciary, dictatorship, civil rights abuse and involvement of Military in Pakistan's political affairs.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
CCP rally assaulted
The CCP rally from Lahore to Islamabad, passing through various other cities, was assaulted by the police on its way. Details of this incident are still awaited. There is also news of a protest outside the press club, right now, to condemn this illegal and uncalled-for attack on a peaceful rally.
(More details soon)
The 'Marsia' of Our Time: Story of Pakistan’s Missing - Part 1
The most tragic part of Saud Memon’s story is the fact that he never told it. He never could. Not because of any curtailment of the freedom of speech, not because of political pressure, not because he didn’t want to. He could not tell the world about what goes on in Guantanamo Bay or in ISI’s cells in Pakistan. He died before that.
In its 60-year history, the Supreme Court of Pakistan could not have witnessed a more tragic scene than what it saw on May 4th, 2007: A 44-years-old emaciated man, reduced to 80 pounds, was produced before the Court, lying on a stretcher. Abducted by the security agencies in 2003, he had been kept in detention in Guantanamo Bay, then in Afghanistan and finally in ISI’s torture cells in Pakistan. He had survived Guantanamo. He survived Afghanistan. But ISI took him. Finally, as a result of a nationwide campaign by families of the missing people, and the Supreme Court’s suo moto intervention, the government was forced to release him. They dumped him in a garbage heap near his house, after beating him to a pulp. Some neighbors recognized him and brought him home. He could neither walk nor hold his head. A week later he was presented before the country’s Supreme Court which had managed to make the ISI capitulate
As many in his audience were brought to tears, advocate Shaukat Akhtar Siddiqui proclaimed, “This skeleton of a man has a reward of Rs3 million on his head in the Red Book of our Interior Ministry,” pointing to the emaciated body of Saud Memon.
The FBI had arrested Mr Memon, 44, on March 7, 2003, because Daniel Pearl’s body had been found on a plot of land allegedly owned by him. He was never given a chance to defend, because a case was never filed against him. He was not even arrested because then he'd have to be presented before a court. There was so little evidence to link him with that crime that he could not even have been indicted before any court, in Pakistan or the US. The governments in Pakistan and the United States, though, couldn’t care less. Daniel Pearl was dead and someone or another had to be framed. Saud Memon was unlucky enough.
On Saturday, May 18, 2007 only 20 days after his was finally released from illegal detention, he died of meningitis and brain TB - all that he had gone through in the US’s and Pakistan’s torture cells simply killed him.
As Muharram wanes, the victims of Karbala must not wither from our memories. Here in the our midst, quite bemoaned remains a son of the nation, Saud Memon – on of the most tragic victims in Pakistan’s history - and hundreds of other missing people still languish in torture cells. If the text-books that we teach our kids are to bear the names of martyrs and victims, then shoulder to shoulder with all those soldiers should be standing (or lying down) this victim of the government’s brutality, and, perhaps, our own insensitivity. Indeed, the true marsia of our times is the story of Pakistan’s missing – a story that we must sit in a majalis to weep over, in the hope that by this public admission of guilt and expression of remorse, a nation that has so brutally wronged so many of its sons and daughter may be forgiven. May it be that in this weeping, we find atonement for our sins.
This was essentially the message of an event arranged today by the Rule of Law Project and LUMS Law & Politics Society.
An Activist Fights Back
Musharraf Limo ambushed in London
President Musharraf's limousine was forced to halt in Park Lane, London, tonight (25 January), when human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell ran in front of his car in protest at the Pakistan dictator's "suppression of democracy and human rights." The ambush happened outside the Hilton Hotel Park Lane, as the President's motorcade drew close to the hotel, where he was scheduled to speak.
“I stood inconspicuously at a bus stop reading a newspaper, waiting for Musharraf's motorcade to arrive,” recalled Mr Tatchell “When the police motorcycle escorts drew level, I ran out into Park Lane and straight in front of the President's car. It screeched to a halt.”
“I unfurled a placard protesting against Musharraf's massacre of civilians in occupied Baluchistan. The placard read: "Stop Pakistan Massacre of Baluch people.”
“Musharraf could clearly see the placard. He did not look pleased. His driver tried to back up and drive around me, but I ran in front of the limousine again, forcing it to halt once more. I could see Musharraf in the back seat shouting something at his driver. Perhaps he feared that I was an assassin or a suicide bomber.”
“The limo reversed again and tried to swerve past me. I blocked it for the third time. Musharraf and his colleagues looked very agitated.”
“Eventually, police motorcycle escorts ran over and dragged me away from the bonnet of Musharraf's vehicle. They pulled me across the road to the central reservation in Park Lane, where I was pinned against the railing.”
“Shortly afterwards, the police let me go and I joined the main anti-Musharraf demonstration outside the Hilton Hotel, organized by lawyers protesting against the arrest of fellow lawyers and supreme court judges in Pakistan.”
“Although my placard specifically condemned Musharraf's human rights abuses in Baluchistan, I support all the people of Pakistan who are struggling against dictatorship and for democracy. It is shameful that the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, is entertaining Musharraf at Downing Street on Monday. He is siding with a dictator against the people of Pakistan.”
“Musharraf is guilty of crimes against humanity, including the indiscriminate bombing of civilian areas in Baluchistan, using weaponry supplied by Britain and the US. Pakistani human rights groups say his regime practices torture, detention with trial and extra-judicial killings.”
“Musharraf is a criminal and should be arrested by the UK authorities and put in trial in The Hague,” said Mr Tatchell.
LAST RALLY outside Aitzaz Ahsan's House before Elections
On Sunday, February 10, we will be holding our LAST RALLY outside Aitzaz Ahsan's house before the elections. LET'S MAKE IT COUNT! Many of you are going on the car rally to Islamabad as well the day before, but please do call on all your energy reserves and try to make it here afterwards.
Sunday feb 10, 3 pm. 5 Zaman Park, canal bank - Lahore.
BE THERE!!
In Complete Solidarity,
CCP
Friday, February 8, 2008
House arrest: judge's daughter tells of family's plight
· Ex-chief justice, wife and children held in Islamabad
· No school or check-ups for disabled eight-year-old
Declan Walsh in Islamabad
Friday February 8, 2008
The Guardian
Pakistan's youngest political prisoner lives in a house on a hill just a few hundred metres from President Pervez Musharraf's soaring presidential palace in Islamabad. Little about him is typical. He is physically disabled, spends his days watching cartoons on TV, and is eight years old.
Bilaj Chaudhry is the son of Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Pakistan's former chief justice. Since he was fired by Musharraf three months ago, the judge, his wife and four children have been locked in their house. Barbed wire barricades block the street, armed police and intelligence agents swarm outside, and visitors are forbidden. The phones have been cut, the water supply disrupted, and an employee who delivers food is carefully searched. Even stepping on to the front lawn is forbidden.
For Musharraf's critics, who now include several retired generals, their ordeal highlights the parlous state of the law as Pakistan hurtles towards elections on February 18. The detention is "entirely unlawful" said a report by the Lahore-based Rule of Law project yesterday.Chaudhry has remained silent, communicating only through angry letters smuggled out to fellow lawyers. But this week his 16-year-old daughter, Palwasha, gave the Guardian a rare interview using a mobile phone. "I'm sitting upstairs and I can see the intelligence men and police from my window. There's maybe 50 of them," she said. "We can't leave."
The A-level student - nicknamed "the commander" by the judge's allies for her ability to smuggle things in and out of the house - said life inside the five-bedroom jail was difficult. A padlock hangs on the front gate and nobody can enter or leave - not even Palwasha's brother, Bilaj, who has been disabled since birth. "He needs a monthly checkup. But that is physically impossible, as you can see," she said.
The Saudi ambassador, who was allowed to visit, tried to lure her father away with the promise of a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. He politely refused.
Officials from the British Council were allowed to conduct a private exam for Palwasha's 18-year-old sister, Ifra. Palwasha herself has read and re-read the Harry Potter books, and fears she will miss her A-levels this summer. "I miss my studies and I miss my friends," she said.
The government claims the Chaudhry family is at liberty to leave. The reality is very different - police with batons and teargas drove back a crowd of supporters who tried to reach the house this week.
Despite numerous attempts, the Guardian was unable to reach a government spokesman for comment yesterday.
Dubbed "Pakistan's forgotten man" by Newsweek, Chaudhry's plight has been largely ignored by Musharraf's western allies, who are reluctant to confront him on the issue. A spokesman for the British high commission in Islamabad said it called for the release of all political detainees, but that it was "not our business to get involved in specific cases".
Lawyers say that stand is eroding popular support for the west. "The US and UK should consider one thing - they are rapidly losing their goodwill in this country," said Athar Minallah, a lawyer.
Meanwhile, Musharraf is pressing ahead with efforts to crush all lawyer-led protests. Last weekend his interim government extended the detention of three senior lawyers, also held since November, by another month.
"This is a disgrace," shouted lawyer Tariq Mahmoud, surrounded by police at his front gate in Islamabad. "What have I done? Am I the biggest terrorist in this country? I have told my children to leave. This is not a country where one can live."
The baton of resistance may be taken up by an unlikely group. On Tuesday several hundred retired generals, admirals and servicemen held a demonstration in Rawalpindi to demand the president's resignation. Musharraf dismissed them as "insignificant", telling the Financial Times: "Most of them are ones who served under me, and I kicked them out."
But the sight of army stalwarts chanting anti-Musharraf slogans on the doorstep of the powerful military establishment may presage more turmoil after the poll.
The chief justice's imprisonment has not become a major election issue, partly due to continuing restrictions on the media. But even Musharraf's aides admit his handling of Chaudhry has been wrong. "We said it was a mistake. We told Mr Musharraf as much as early as last March," said a senior aide, Mushahid Hussain.
Meanwhile the judge remains at home, reading and praying, said his daughter "We are very proud of him," Palwasha said. "I am very conscious that in the end victory will be ours."
Backstory
Human rights groups accuse President Pervez Musharraf of waging a vendetta against Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the chief justice he fired in November. During a recent tour of Europe Musharraf aides circulated an eight-page memo filled with accusations against the judge.
Pakistan's supreme court dismissed many of the serious charges, nepotism, fraud and abuse of office, last July. But the document also included fresh accusations, mostly in the form of anecdotes, ranging from the comic to the bizarre.
Chaudhry was guilty of "highhandedness", it said, by making civil servants wait hours to see him. He was accused of berating officials in Lahore after they provided him with an old-model Mercedes during a trip to the city. In a visit to a government lodge in the mountains, it was claimed, he stopped a guest from using his toilet.
Chaudhry was accused of an "obsession for self projection" in the media and of bullying state TV into broadcasting his appearances.
A few weeks later Chaudhry smuggled a letter from his house in which he rejected the charges. "They are flimsy and ridiculous," he wrote. "After all, a prisoner must also have his say."
Musharraf's new chief justice, Abdul Hameed Dogar, lives a few doors away. He has yet to rule on the matter.
AAJ TV taken off the air
Missing Persons Talk at LUMS today
The Law and Politics Society (LPS) in collaboration with the Rule of Law Project brings to you AMNA JANJUA, whose husband "dissappeared" over two years ago.
Mrs. AMNA JANJUA is now leading a group of more than 500 families seeking answers and justice for the abduction of their loved ones, and shall address the students after the airing of a controversial short documentary on the disappeared. What was her husband's fault? Why is he missing? Why are so many missing? If your curious, don't miss this opportunity to directly talk to those personally affected.
DATE: THIS FRIDAY (8th Feb 2008)
TIME: 4pm
VENUE: SAEED SAIGOL, LUMS
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Details of Hum Logge Solidarity Rally on the 9th
Today Pakistan stands at the crossroads of chaos and instability. The events of November 3rd, and December 27, 2007, have had a devastating affect on our nation, the Balkanization of which is now a very likely future scenario. The gravity of the situation demands that we, the people of Pakistan, stay united and work for the restoration of our judiciary, which can restore order to our nation. In the wake of rising provincial disharmony and the judicial crisis, Hum Logge has organized a plan to rally under the flag of Pakistanfor solidarity on February 9th, 2008 from Lahore to the capital, Islamabad, via the G.T. road.
"Hum Logge" consists of organizers, in consultation with the Leaders of the Bars and major political parties, who are advocates of civil rights, the independence of judiciary, and a restoration of democracy. The parties will participate in the rally for a national cause since they too stand as a symbol of the Federation. We will rally with full support and enthusiasm from all classes of people (awam: the real people), the Leaders of the Bars and other participants including WAF (Women Action Forum), HRCP (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), CCP (Concerned Citizens of Pakistan), the members of various NGOs, local civil society groups, SAC (Student Action Committee), and most importantly, the most marginalized citizens of this nation, who are the real voters.
Hum Logge- We, the people, ARE the government. United we stand to make our voice heard.
Objectives:
The rally aims to reiterate the people's demands for the restoration of the judiciary, free and fair elections for democracy, and to show solidarity amongst the four provinces in order to move the country away from the prevailing, vulnerable situation. It's time to work together for the solidarity of our country.
We will join our brethren in Islamabad and together march towards the Supreme Court so that we can influence the present regime to meet our demands. We aim to show solidarity with judicial leaders who are acting players for the suppressed of the country, and who are fighting for the independence of the judiciary, civil liberties, freedom of democracy, a free media, and a society rid of atrocities and tyranny.
We anticipate everyone's involvement and request that all individuals and organizations send their delegations as representatives in large numbers to show strength, power and the struggle of the people of Pakistan for their rights and for democracy.
This is for PAKISTAN and for ALL Pakistanis. It does not matter who you are and what your affiliations are. We ONLY want the Pakistani flag here, be it in the form of the flag itself, stickers, banners, etc. We want to focus on unity instead of the minor differences in agenda that we may have. Now is the time to unite.
We would also be obliged if people can donate cars for transportation to Islamabad. Please do register your cars with us and confirm the number of people you will be bringing along with Bina Qureshi.
Please contact Bina Qureshi and Nabiha Meher in Lahore, and Kamil Hamid in Islamabad for any details and information.
UNITED WE STAND FOR A SOLID PAKISTAN.
Looking forward,
Bina Qureshi
Team leader
Phone number: 0300-8412435
Email: images_help@yahoo.com
Nabiha Meher
Phone #: 0308-4579807
nabihameher@gmail.com
Kamil Hamid
Phone#: 0345-5104892
kamilhamid@gmail.com
Inspirational Meeting with Justice (R) Wajeehuddin
Yesterday some of us had the honour of meeting Justice (Retd) Wajeehuddin, fondly known as the Real President of Pakistan, at Hamid Zaman's home. We thank Mustafa Ramday - Justice Khalil Ramday's son - for arranging the meeting.
For the benefit of all, I would like to recap some of his comments:
1. The movement for the restoration of the judiciary is historic, and *will* succeed.
2. Contrary to what a certain thug has been saying, it will *not* require two-thirds majority in both houses for his actions to be undone. They can be reversed by executive order backed up by even a simple majority in parliament.
3. After the elections, the lawyer's movement will give a certain deadline (backed up by civil society) for the new parliament to reverse the unconstitutional orders passed by musharraf. if need be, the entire nation will be asked, at a predetermined date and time, to come out of their houses, offices and factories briefly to show their unity and solidarity with the movement.
4. If the incoming government fails to restore the judiciary within the proposed time period, we will start a peaceful movement for civil disobedience.
5. At no time, not for a moment, must we allow for another dictator to come and replace the current one. Pervez Musharraf is a symptom of the disease - he is not the disease itself. The disease has been the army's string of forays into governance, administration and politics, directly through military coups and indirectly through behind-the-scenes manipulation of political governments through the ISI.
6. This disease has to be eliminated. If today Kyani is asking for army personnel to not meet politicians - he is only doing his job. Do we commend or put on a pedestal every Pakistani for doing what they are supposed to do anyway? Do not give any army chief the room to feel he is anything more than a servant of the state, as the Founder of our Nation told a complaining colonel once.
7. He also urged members of civil society, to look for amongst themselves, people who possess the qualities of sincerity, selflessness, competence, and above all, compassion for the common man, who could become candidates for the future from different political parties. The political process has never been allowed to mature in Pakistan- and the corruption we see in the political arena is also another symptom of the disease - but we must not give up on this process, nor lose sight of the disease behind these symptoms.
Finally, it is important for all of us in civil society to remember and be prepared for the fact that the the restoration of the judiciary is a key facet (but not the sole one) of our fight for the institution of civil rights, freedom, democracy and rule of law. Our battle will be a long and drawn-out one, and we must not lose energy, nor hope, nor focus.
In Continuing Solidarity,
Concerned Citizens of Pakistan (CCP)
Imran Khan barred from entering Karachi
Military Retirees Demand Musharraf’s Resignation
Published: February 6, 2008
They had assembled for a seminar, but in an unprecedented public protest, a retired army chief, several retired generals and dozens of former servicemen came out onto the main road chanting and shouting against Mr. Musharraf.
Just two weeks after they first assembled on Jan. 22 and wrote a resolution calling on Mr. Musharraf to resign, the retired officers’ movement is starting to build momentum and appears poised to take over where the lawyers’ movement, with its main leaders under house arrest, has stalled.
The campaign was also to warn the government not to try to interfere in the parliamentary elections on Feb. 18. The retired officers met for a seminar about Kashmir, the territory that Pakistan and India claim, organized by the Pakistan Ex-Servicemen’s Society, which cares for the welfare of retired military personnel, in a hotel near the Army General Headquarters. The speeches soon turned political, taking aim at Mr. Musharraf, blaming him for abandoning Kashmir, stifling an independent judiciary and perpetuating his one-man rule.
“He has messed things up; look at the law and order,” said Lt. Gen. Jamshed Gulzar Kiani, a retiree who was the corps commander of Rawalpindi, one of the most important posts in the army, under Mr. Musharraf when he was commanding general of the armed forces.
The rash of suicide bombings and the fighting raging in two of Pakistan’s four provinces were the main concerns the former generals raised.
Mr. Kiani said that Mr. Musharraf gave an elaborate seven-point order of action when he seized power in 1999, but that after eight years he had not delivered on any of them.
“Where is the interprovincial harmony?” he asked. “Where is the law and order? Even the economy is going down with escalating food prices. The net result of the eight-year rule is a complete mess-up of the country.”
Another former general, Ali Kuli Khan, who was passed over for the top army job when Mr. Musharraf was appointed to it in 1998, expressed his frustration with a cricket term. “We are here to bring the lesson home that you have had enough of an innings,” he said, “and unless you back off it will not be possible for things to calm down.”
The outbursts, by traditionally loyal and discreet men of the armed forces, represent yet another sign of the growing resentment in Pakistan against Mr. Musharraf, whose popularity has plunged since last March, when he dismissed the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
The disaffection has grown sharply since Nov. 3, when Mr. Musharraf imposed martial law to see through his own election to another presidential term and since the Dec. 27 assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the opposition leader and former prime minister, as she campaigned.
Last month the former servicemen issued a statement urging Mr. Musharraf to resign and hand over power to Mr. Chaudhry, who has been under house arrest since Nov. 3.
Mr. Musharraf, who was in Europe at the time, attacked his detractors. “They are insignificant personalities,” The Financial Times quoted him as saying in an interview at the Davos World Economic Forum. “Most of them are ones who served under me, and I kicked them out.”
Most of the retired officers at the meeting dismissed his remarks by saying that they considered him a junior officer. Mr. Kiani, who had served under General Musharraf, said the ex-servicemen supporting the movement were now far more than the original 100 who signed a statement last month calling for him to step down.
The generals’ movement is important because Mr. Musharraf is more likely to listen to his peers, several at the meeting said.
“This development, and their involvement, is unprecedented,” said Roedad Khan, a retired senior bureaucrat who was a guest speaker at the seminar. “This is bound to change the course of events, and very soon.” As he arrived he was welcomed by one of the organizers, who exclaimed that the servicemen wanted to draw in representatives of the bureaucracy to their campaign.
Mr. Kiani urged Mr. Musharraf to “please quit” and said his policies were putting the army at the center of controversy. “We don’t want any finger pointing at Pakistan Army,” Mr. Kiani said in his speech.
Asad Durrani, another lieutenant general who led the Inter-Services Intelligence agency, said the protest voiced by the retired military officers was “long overdue.” He denied that the retired generals were being urged by some quarters in the Pakistan Army, which under the leadership of its new chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has shown signs of distancing itself from politics.
“Nobody has been told anything,” Mr. Durrani said.
But one retired general in the audience, who asked not to be identified because of the political nature of his comments, suggested that there was a similar mood among current officers. “If you are getting all of this from people who have been in uniform, it is likely that those still in uniform feel the same way,” he said.
Chief Justice of Pakistan and Three Prominent Lawyers Declared Political Prisoners
For Immediate Release: Thursday, 7th February, 2008
Lahore, Pakistan - In a briefing paper released today, the LUMS Rule of Law Project concludes that the detention of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and advocates Aitzaz Ahsan, Justice(ret'd) Tariq Mehmood and Ali Ahmed Kurd violates Pakistan's constitution as well as customary international law. The report finds that the four are political prisoners and recommends their immediate release.
The briefing paper addresses the factual and legal bases for the detention of each detainee. Ahsan, Mehmood and Kurd have received detention orders purporting to justify their detention under theMaintenance of Public Order Ordinance. The briefing paper concludes that there is sufficient evidence of mala fide, or bad faith, to render each order subject to legal challenge in Pakistan's high courts under Article 199 of the Constitution.
The Chief Justice and his family have been detained in their official residence since November 3, 2007, without any legal processor detention order. The report notes that this detention violates several provisions of the constitution and is therefore entirely unlawful.
"These detentions are particularly troubling because the detainees have been targeted for the peaceful expression of their political beliefs," stated American lawyer Devin Theriot-Orr, director of the Rule of Law Project. "The detainees are in a double-bind because theyare suffering under an unlawful detention and have no forum where they can seek to enforce their rights following Musharraf's removal of the majority of appellate judges in November."
The briefing paper recommends that Pakistan release the detainees immediately and that international human rights organizations and concerned individuals put pressure on the Pakistani government to protect the fundamental rights of Pakistani citizens. The brief also recommends the reinstatement of all deposed judges and the restoration of the constitution to it's status on November 2, 2007.
This paper follows on the Project's release of a report in January entitled Defending Dictatorship: U.S. Foreign Policy and Pakistan's Struggle for Democracy. The report, co-authored by members of a delegation from the United States National Lawyers Guild, concludedthat U.S. support for President Musharaff and its failure to demand restoration of the deposed judges will have long-term negative impacts on the judiciary and the rule of law in Pakistan and damage regional safety and security.
Professors Roger Normand and Justice (ret'd) Jawwad Khawaja of LUMSestablished the Rule of Law Project to serve as an academic clearing house for documentation and research regarding constitutionalism and the rule of law in Pakistan.
CONTACT: Devin Theriot-Orr, LUMS Rule of Law Project, +92(334)428-9694, rlp@riseup.net
DOWNLOAD THE REPORT: http://ruleoflawproject.org/pubs/briefing01.pdf
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
External debt hits$40.322bn in 4 years
By Shahid Iqbal KARACHI, Feb 5: How much the government added to the external debt is much more important than the build-up of a heap of new record domestic debt, addinga trillion rupees to the total.
The huge external debt, which witnessed an addition of about $7billion to the total of over $40 billion in just four years, is set to start a vicious cycleof borrowing — servicing — borrowing. The rising bill of external debt-servicing gets more importance in the wake of widening current account deficit.
This deficit curtails the government’s ability to pay external bills, forcing it to borrow to meet the requirement or sell the assets it has for yieldingforeign exchange. The government has been paying about $3 billion each year as debt-servicing despite rescheduling of Paris Club consortium debt which has the largest sharein the total debt.
The latest figures issued by the State Bank showed that the total external debt reached $40.322 billion from $33.352 billion since 2003-04. The addition of about $6.9 billion in just four years showed that the government borrowed massively to meet its external payment. This has increased the cost of debt-servicing.
The future government is bound to borrow more to keep itself able to make external payments. This could bethe second biggest task of the future government after de-freezing the petroleum prices. The future government will have to carry out another task to launch Global Depository Receipts (GDRs) to raise dollars for its increasing demand.
The dollar demand has multiplied after record oil prices which hit $100 per barrel. The slow export growth and high import growth is another difficult area which demands more dollars. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have stared depleting but still these are about $15 billion. This will be the toughest task for the future government to maintain reserves and keep the payment system smooth.
The foreign exchange reserves have been a trade mark of success of the previous government. Both the Prime Minister and President referred the forex reserves as one of the biggest successes in numerous speeches they made in last couple of years. The SBP’s data showed that the government of Shaukat Aziz went beyond all records of increasing domestic debt which rose by almost one trillion rupees infive year to make the total as Rs2.7 trillion.
According to the report, the previous government which completed its five-year tenure increased the domestic debt by 58 per cent in five years. The government broke all records of previous governments to add such huge debt on the back of the weak economy. The previous government added both the external and domestic debt on such a scale which never happened before.
The caretaker government has followed the same path and has been borrowing at the fastest speed. The State Bank in its monetary policy criticised huge borrowing from the State Bank. The SBP accused the government of accelerating inflation through huge borrowing and destroying all efforts of the SBP to control inflation. The governmentborrowed about Rs237 billion from SBP in six months.
Myth Busters: Researchers Needed
Project Editor: Syed Saad Rizvi
Contact info: saadmustafa.rizvi@gmail.com
Serious researchers needed.
Educate yourself and the people of Pakistan.
Show the world that the much clamor of economic growth is a fraud.
Stop the blasphemy against the judiciary, friends and civil society.
Help unearth the misuse of state resources and privileges by a few Generals that has destroyed the stature of our once loved Pakistan army.
Myth busters needs you!
If you are interested in working to expose the lies spread by Musharraf and his PR team please get in touch with the editor.
Parliament Watch
Tired of Personality based politics?
Don't want to see the same corrupt politicians getting re-elected again and again and again?
Want to see new faces in these upcoming elections?
Know inside information about a candidate that the world should know?
Want to be part of the struggle for rule of law, democracy and power to the people?
Then Parliament Watch is Just for you
Parliament Watch is an objectively based political candidate review project. It is meant to promote an "informed" voting behavior by creating transparency of the election process. The goal of this project is to help voters choose the right candidates to avoid corruption, nepotism, and undemocratic ideals. It serves as a medium for the public to voice their opinions and help portray the candidates. This project offers objective reviews on candidates based on documentation of the Election Commission of Pakistan, Pakistani media, and publicly available documents and research material. This project contains surveys, polls, and indices that provide statistical data on the candidates.
This project is one of the projects of the Future Leaders of Pakistan (FLP) by which members have collaborated to provide the people of Pakistan a tool for deciding who to vote for. It is with this project, that the members hope to induce the civil society to create a stronger polity for informed decision making. Parliament Watch focuses on Members of National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan and with further funding will provide more information and reviews of other assemblies that make up the polity of our country.
But you can't leave your office, house or dorm? Or are not in Pakistan?Don't worry, you can still contribute by giving a few minutes of your time by:
- reading about the candidates that interest you, to ensure the information is accurate - giving ratings on a candidate's CDI index
- providing links to his interviews and news articles in the comments section
- typing stuff you hear about a candidate on TV, Radio or from people.
- helping us gather the manifestos of each candidate and the parties.
Our plan is to get enough information on as many candidates as possible and hopefully with the help of sponsors distribute agendas amongst the masses. Even if we get a few cities done, it will be a good start that hopefully we'll be able to improve on once the real judiciary is reinstated.
Remember the website: www.pw.org.pk
Politicians commit to spend more on education
By Iftikhar A. Khan
ISLAMABAD, Feb 5: Mainstream political parties Tuesday committed themselves to enhance the education budget from 2.4 per cent to 4 per cent of the GDP within the next three years with an increased focus on areas lagging behind in education and literacy indicators.They signed a declaration to the effect at the conclusion of a multi-party conference on ‘Education for All in Pakistan’ organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT), a foreign- funded NGO.
The parties committed to allocate 10 per cent of the annual education budget to literacy programmes, arrange free and compulsory primary education, and ensure 100 per cent primary enrolment, and 85 per cent adult literacy by the year 2015.In a bid to impress that they mean it, the parties promised to abolish political favouritism and interference in education departments, to modernise and introduce a uniform core curriculum in schools across the country and to effectively utilise the allocated education budget each year.Though the political parties pledged to enhance the education budget, the commitment by almost half of them does not mean anything at this stage due to their decision to boycott the polls.
The three major political parties including PML, PML-N and PPP remained in government, but took no practical steps in this direction. These parties, however, have made promises in their election manifestoes to focus on the education sector.The 16 political parties which signed the Joint Declaration were represented by Senator Mushahid Hussain (PML), Raja Zafarul Haq (PML-N), Shah Mahmood Qureshi (PPP), Prof Ibrahim (JI), Senator Tahir Mashhadi (MQM), Senator Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli (PPP- Sherpao) and Dr Arif Alvi (PTI), Haji Mohammad Adeel (ANP), Takri M. Mengal (BNP-Awami), Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini (BNP-Mengal), Senator Shahid Bugti (JWP), Maulana Amjad Khan (JUI-F), Pir Nasir Jamil Hashmi (JUP-Noorani), Prof Sajid Mir (JAH), Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch (NP), Senator Abdur Rahim Mandokhel (PMAP).Some of the participants of the moot called for a proper system of check and balance to ensure proper utilisation of funds, alleging that a huge chunk of funds for education was siphoned off by the bureaucracy.
Speaking on the occasion, Senator Mushahid Hussain announced that his party had the plans to initiate mass literacy programmes across the country, increase teacher retirement age from 60 to 65 years, modernisation of curriculum and to ensure transparency in scholarship awards.He emphasized the need to ease visa restrictions on Pakistani students seeking to undertake advanced studies in physics and engineering due to a negative perception of Pakistan’s nuclear state status.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Punjab PPP chief pointed out the sustained lack of political will in developing the education sector citing over 22 policy action plans introduced by various governments and their inability to foster any change in basic education and literacy indicators.While endorsing the Joint Declaration commitment of increasing education budget to 4 per cent of the GDP, he stressed on removing institutional weaknesses that hinder effective use of education funds and building of institutions’ capacity to enable them properly utilise funding.
Raja Zafarul Haq highlighted the potential of youth and pointed out that when given the right opportunities and access to education they can exceed internationally set standards of high learning achievement. He observed that mere increase in the education budget would not make any improvement, but an overall change in the strategy was required for it.
Senator Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli termed education as the key to success. She said under the constitution free primary education has to be ensured in minimum possible time. Advocating for allocating more resources for public sector education, she pointed out that Malaysia spends 26 per cent of GDP on education.Dr Abdul Hayee Baloch and Haji Adeel elaborated stressed the need for teaching mother language at primary level. Endorsing this view, Senator Shahid Bugti compared the bleak education and literacy scenario in Pakistan with the much poorer countries of Africa with better adult literacy rates including Rwanda, Malawi and Nigeria.Senator Abdur Rahim Mandokhel underlined the need to make political parties accountable to the masses and not to the perceived power bases of the country as witnessed over the years. He said education budget should be increased, but there must be a system of accountability in place to ensure proper utilisation of the funds.Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldini and Nasir Jamil Hashmi pointed out the problem of political interference at the district level and proposed more accountability and transparency in the system.
Yasin Zafar called for encouragement and improvement in religious educational institutions bringing them at par with the mainstream educational institutions.Senator Mashadi endorsed the mainstreaming of religious institutions with a focus on modernising their curricula and to abolish the existing multi-class education systems in the country.
(Coutresy Dawn, Feb 6, 2008)
People's Resistance Street Theatre in Karachi
Yesterday (Feb.5th, Tuesday), the street theatre group of PR did three chilling performances on sea view. It was an 8 minutes long theatre which highlighted the plight of a poor household, where a 'chowkidaar' takes absolute control by promising 'khushhaali' to its inhabitants. Instead of their situation getting any better, the family is fed-up by the chowkidaar's demands for security measures in their home. Finally, complete chaos takes place as the situation of the family and of society in general goes from bad to worst. During the pandemonium, the narrator stops everyone and interacts with the crowd.
A lot of different and interesting views were exchanged with people on the beach. However, probably because of my green army cap and crude punjabi-accented portrayal of the 'chowkidaar', people immediately answered Musharaff as the main culprit for the family's plight. When asked what could be the solution for the household's problems, many people simply suggested the removal of the army from civilian affairs, while others stated that all of us have to work together for the nation's betterment.
The theatre ended with the actors and people from the crowd moving in a tight circle and shoving off the 'chowkidaar', who tries to break into them shouting 'main khushhaali lay kar hi aaon ga!' 'main ghar ki behtari karon ga!' People who joined us in this circle in all three performances were really happy to be a part of the solution.
We would like to thank the handful of PR people who showed up. It was disheartening to see that they were less in number than my own personal friends.
We must all thank Abira for providing her house for the past whole week for our theatre training. I would personally like to thank Mr. Shahid Shafaat, our theatre guru, without whose dedication and training none of this would be possible. Please if everyone can send him a thank you note on his email address: shahidshafaat@hotmail.com, its the least we can do to appreciate his commitment. Finally, PR theatre group would not have even gathered if it wasn't for Ambreen's efforts. She has done a great job of coordinating and motivating everyone interested to participate. Great work Ambreen!
We have tentatively planned to perform again on Sunday Feb.9th, obviously keeping in mind everyone's availability and the current political situation.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
HRCP denounces fresh curbs on Aitzaz and Tariq
Lahore, February 4: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) regrets that the government could not stomach its good act of restoring Aitzaz Ahsan and Tariq Mahmood to freedom for more than 24 hours. The tactic used by the government to evade its obligation to refer their cases to the Review Board reminds one of practices favoured by autocrats of the most contemptible variety. An administration that circumvents its legal and moral duties in this manner undermines the very foundations of an order based on respect for law. What makes the action against these distinguished lawyers reprehensible, from the very first day of their incarceration, is the fact that they have not been accused of any offence, and what they are supported to be prevented from doing is not a crime in any democratic dispensation. Their detention at the moment also amounts to a crude interference with the electoral process. The orders of their detention must be withdrawn forthwith.
Iqbal Haider,
Secretary General
