Students Action Committee, Lahore staged their first protest today. This was termed as a 'tester' before the mega protest they have announced on coming Friday, to analyze the reaction of cops and the students.Around 70 members of the Students Action Committee, Lahore gathered at Lahore Press Club building around 2 PM. Students representatives from FAST, NCA, PU, LUMS, LGS, BNU, UCL and a few other institutes were welcomed by the Lahore Press Club Management where they first started designing placards. The students then started chanting slogans 'Go Musharraf Go !' , 'Laathi Goli ki Sarkay, Nahe Chalay ge Nahe Chalay ge' and 'Adlia' Azaad Karo'. The members of Lahore Press Club and lawyers joined them soon and media guys shot the action. 'Chillars' (Police) ? Obviously they were there, even before the students were there. The cops assembled at the gate of the Lahore Press Club building to monitor the situation. Later, the students decided to move out of the building, quite daring and bold step, knowing that the cops were ready for action. But quite surprisingly they did not interfere. The students, holding the placards moved out and queued up at the foot-path around the Press Club building. The cops told the students not to come forward on the road. The sloganeering continued even there for 15-20 minutes and pamphlets were distributed to the pass-byers, motorists and those in cars. It was encouraging to see people passing by showing victory sign (with fingers) to the protesters - at least people support the cause if can not participate.The students, forming a human hand-chain moved to the GEO Stall, opposite to Jung building at Davis Road to sow solidarity and support to the media guys and to raise their voice against the curb on media. Team GEO warmly welcomed the students and handed over the mic to the students for sloganeering, which continued with a few new ones added as per the environment, like, 'GEO ko jeenay do' , 'Media ko azaad karo' etc. One of the students then recited a couple of revolutionary poems from Jalib and Faiz.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Student Action Committee Lahore stages first protest
Between Despair and Hope
What would define chaos better than a swift reconstitution of the judiciary, imposition of Emergency rule and holding the Constitution in abeyance? This institutional chaos has pushed the elections as an issue to the margins of political debate. Why would anyone consider elections under the conditions described above as sincere, credible, free and fair?
After eight years of Musharraf- centred politics, we see some signs of change in the politics of Pakistan. The first major change that will redefine politics issues, alignments and the political process in the coming weeks and months is the announcement that General Musharraf is going to take off his military uniform on November 29 and get himself sworn in as a civilian president. Many a times before, pledges, declarations and commitments were not honoured. Therefore, there should be a bit of caution while accepting that the final episode of General Musharraf's career is about to begin.
The moment it happens, the dynamics of Pakistani politics will greatly change, and that will be a very positive development for the country. It would mark the beginning of a major political transition. The indications of such a transition are apparent: Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, two leaders the General despised the most and kept out of the country for nearly a decade, have returned.
What made General Musharraf and the ruling clique rethink their position on the leaders of the two major political parties? Not a sudden change of heart about democracy and constitutional rule, but a sudden loss of moral authority, because otherwise, Musharraf was and is Chief of the Army Staff and the 'elected president' who has the support of three major political groups that were ready to follow his political direction.
The General has come to realise that between March 9 and November 3, he placed his own ambitions above Pakistan, its vital institutions and norms of governance. While this inversion of priorities was apparent to even the dullest of political minds, the General was adamant that all his thoughts and actions were guided only by considerations for Pakistan's security, stability and prosperity.
The people of Pakistan accepted him without questioning the legitimacy of his military takeover and all institutions, including the Supreme Court of Pakistan, extended him whatever support he needed to fulfil his pledge of guiding Pakistan to genuine democracy and improving the economy. Contrary to popular expectations, his politics was based on the familiar thought that politicians can be bought for a bargain. Musharraf's every political move, including allying with some of the most corrupt politicians in the country and rigging elections, proved beyond any doubt that he did not represent the forces of social and political change but was quite comfortable with the herd as long as he was the shepherd.
In Pakistan's cyclical history, there is a strange pattern where every military ruler undermines his position by committing blunder upon blunder even before the opposition forces do anything to him. Mr Sharif's return to Pakistan, despite regular threats that he would not be allowed into the country before completing the term of his exile and last ditch efforts by the regime to stop him, tells a great deal about how much the Musharraf's government has weakened. Emergency rule is the only armour protecting his dangerously exposed political flanks. But even that has hardly served its purpose. Everything that Musharraf has attempted since March 9 has backfired badly.
Pakistan is in serious trouble today with a lot of uncertain, unstable and even chaotic situations. What would define chaos better than a swift reconstitution of the judiciary, imposition of Emergency rule and holding the Constitution in abeyance? This institutional chaos has pushed the elections as an issue to the margins of political debate. Why would anyone consider elections under the conditions described above as sincere, credible, free and fair?
There is now an increased possibility of more political parties boycotting the elections with the return of Sharif, who considers Musharraf to be the mother and father of all of Pakistan's problems. He has presented a charter of demands that will be difficult for the Musharraf government to accept, including the General's removal from power. If Sharif decides to stay out of the elections, even if Bhutto participates, the polls will have no integrity at all.
Also, the return of the two old political rivals is not a precursor of a major change in the politics of Pakistan, other than perhaps ousting Musharraf, and even that has serious question marks attached to it. While there are ample reasons for the lack of trust and confidence in mainstream political parties whose leaders have little regard for democracy within their own parties, in the objective conditions of the country, they can be the only medium of political transition in the traditional sense of politics. It is not clear whether their ascendancy in the post-Musharraf era will be the beginning of a major political transition in the structural sense. It could be more of the same old wine in new bottles.
The real indications of change and hope are in the new social movement of the students, media, lawyers and intelligentsia. It is not about conventional politics and leaders with their ambitions and deals. It is about the basics of Pakistani politics and society that need to be defined in the vastly changed national and global climate. There is a realisation that simply changing political horses who have been tried before will not help Pakistani society modernise and progress. Structural change with respect to the independence of judiciary, constitutionalism, rule of law and fundamental freedoms including, most importantly, the media, will gradually move society in that direction.
The sentiment and capacity of the new social forces, and their willingness to accept suffering for the cause of true democracy and civility in politics is as mesmerising as its courage and youthfulness. Musharraf, despite a good start, lost moral power and influence because he failed to go with the forces of change and elected to rely on politicians of questionable integrity. The fate of two other leaders, each tried twice in the past, may be no different if they don't embrace the ideal of the new social movement, which wants real change and is willing to fight for as long as it takes. This is the true sign of hope.
The author is a professor of Political Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences. He can be reached at rasul@lums.edu.pk
Details of Justice Tariq Mahmood's condition
(Courtesy The News)
ISLAMABAD: The moving ordeal of an ailing but defiant Justice (retd) Tariq Mahmood lodged in the Sahiwal jail for the last 23 days, as narrated by his struggling wife, brought tears to the eyes of hundreds of members of the civil society and political workers who watched the 'Capital Talk' show of Geo TV live on the footpath of Islamabad on Monday.
Justice Tariq, once the top judge of the Balochistan High Court, who had resigned after refusing to conduct the controversial presidential referendum of 2002, was now being made to sleep on the cold floor of the Sahiwal jail to break his nerves and punish him for his acts of defiance since he quit the judiciary to register his protest.
As his health condition deteriorated in the Sahiwal jail, Tariq Mahmood who is said to have developed severe back pain has now been rushed to a Lahore hospital for his medical tests. To acknowledge his act of defiance, lawyers' community had elevated him to the prestigious office of president of Supreme Court Bar Association. He again earned respect after he became member of the legal team which successfully defended the deposed chief justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
She told the shocked audience of the show amid moving scenes how her husband was being ill treated in the jail and taught a brutal lesson for his commitment to the forces of truth and justice.
Justice Tariq was arrested on November 3 along with Munir A Malik, Aitzaz Ahsan and Ali Ahmed Kurd, the dream team which fought the case of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
Hundreds of participants stood up to show their respect to the wife of Justice Tariq and to show their support and admiration. Mrs Tariq asked in a very emotional tone what was her husband's fault who had only tried to stand with the people who were struggling for freedom.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Student Protestors barred from reaching Parliament
(Courtesy The Nation)
ISLAMABAD-Dozens of students of different universities and colleges of Capital City tried to march towards the Parliament House on Monday to protest against the imposition of emergency but they were stopped by police personnel to reach the destined value.The students, however, said that they managed to register their protest peacefully against the ongoing state of emergency and suspension of fundamental rights despite the use of police force to stop them from marching towards the parliament. Representing different universities and colleges of the federal capital including Quaid-e-Azam University, International Islamic University Islamabad, Bahria University and West Minister’s College, the students gathered near the Saudi Pak Tower. They started marching on the Service Road and tried to go to the Parliament House. But the security officials reached there on time and stopped them forcing them to disperse peacefully. Later, the students, without raising any anti-government or anti- Musharraf slogans staged a sit-in in front of Mohammed Ali Jinnah University located in the Blue Area. They were holding placards inscribed with slogans like “Bol kay Lab Azaad Hain Taray” and “we want democracy”.The students demanded of the political parties to boycott the upcoming elections that according to them should not be held under the state of emergency. They said the society has been intentionally depoliticised and students have no unions or any other platform at their educational institutions to express themselves. “We want democracy in the country, we want media to be freed. We believe that the media is a great source of knowledge and information for us” said a charged student, Tariq. He said, “We don’t want to create any mess, we just want to show the world that we can register our protest peacefully.” The students said they were being threatened by the administration to expel from the universities and the colleges and would not be able to get admission further in any educational institution forever.“Our phones are being tapped by the authorities. But it could not deter our struggle, which we are planning to launch on a grand scale. We have formed a Student Action Committee in which the students will represent all the educational institutions. This committee will start a massive protest across the country,” another student, Ahsan told TheNation.
Missing in Pakistan - Documentary
The following is an extremely touching film about the Missing People at the heart of the controversies that led to the Chief Justice's initial dismissal. It was set to be released on Nov 21st in a viewing at FAST-NU Lahore but the authorities clamped down on this and prevented the viewing. Since then, it has moved on to the digital world, originally uploaded at [The Critique Aggregator ] while simultaneously uploaded on the Missing in Pakistan blog. Watch the video and spread the word, if you want to download a full screen version then download from RapidShare 103MB.
Justice Tariq Mahmood in critical condition
It has just been reported on a mailing list that another political prisoner Justice (retd) Tariq Mahmood is also in critical condition and has been shifted from the Kot Lakhpat prison to Service Hospital, more updates to follow.
Muneer A Malik's condition is still deemed to be serious. There has been no word on Ali Ahmed Kurdas of yet.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Student Action Committee Lahore issues Call
· Under the guise of emergency, on the 3rd of November a brutal attack was launched against the civil society of Pakistan which recently mobilized in unison with the judiciary and the lawyers.
· All the judges who stood by their oath to protect the constitution were removed and placed under house arrest. Moreover, the two judges blamed for releasing terrorists have taken oath under the PCO. There is no excuse for the treatment meted out to the judiciary.
· The media has effectively been silenced as have all opposing voices to the totalitarian regime.
· Fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression and assembly, right to association and right to life, liberty and property, have been taken away.
· A direct assault on the students has been made: talks and debates on academic campuses have been banned. Students are being threatened with expulsions and are being pressurized by a pseudo-student’s (non-democratic) organization. Threats have been made against the students’ future careers and job acquisitions.
· Thousands of people are in jail to date without any legal basis.
· Our industries and businesses have suffered immense losses in millions of rupees due to the aforementioned governmental policies.
If not Now, WHEN? If not Us, Who?
There is no neutrality anymore; SILENCE IS CONSENT. SPEAK!
Do not strengthen the forces of repression which plunder the life and liberties of innocent citizens. SPEAK!
“I will not remember the words of my enemies but the silence of my friends.” Martin Luther King Jr.
Raise your voice with ours for the restoration of the constitution and the judiciary; freedom of the media and release of protest prisoners to enable a democratic process to take root through free and fair election.
Join us to peacefully PROTEST on 30th of November near Salt & Pepper (Liberty) at 2:30 (after the Jumma prayers)
Students of Lahore Universities and Colleges form Student Action Committee
After intensive negotiations, the students of 15 universities and institutes of Lahore have come together to establish a unified stance with regard to the recent political upheavals in Pakistan. The statement issued by the students is as follows.
Press Release:
We - students of universities in Lahore – raise our collective voice against the current state of emergency rule and unite on a common agenda. Our demands in sum are aimed to ensure that the people of Pakistan are empowered through a free and fair election process, in order to move national development and progress forward.
We unite to condemn the coercive actions of the government that have moved Pakistan away from the path of peoples' rule towards internal chaos, through extreme restrictions of constitutional freedoms.
We call upon youth all over Pakistan to unite in order to denounce the state of emergency cum martial law imposed against the country's judicial organ and the people of Pakistan. We declare our intent to remain in steadfast opposition to these actions of the regime and to boycott the upcoming elections if the government does not accept the following demands:
1. Lifting of Martial Law
2. Restoration of the Judiciary to its pre-3rd Nov state
3. Restoration of the Constitution to its pre-3rd Nov state
4. Removal of curbs on Media Freedom
5. Release of Protest Prisoners and dropping of charges against them
We declare our unified decision of refusing to recognize as legitimate any government formed under an election process that precludes the acceptance of these demands. We call upon all political parties of Pakistan – that have repeatedly stated that they stand for democracy and justice – to stand by their declarations and boycott any such election held before these basic demands have been satisfied.
We, students of universities in Lahore, hereby declare that we consider any such election to be both unconstitutional and an affront to the very name of democratic rule in the country.
Convince PPP to boycott elections
We would strongly urge everyone to contribute in anyway possible in regards to pressurizing PPP to boycott the upcoming election drama. Participation by 3 major parties (PPP, JUI-F and MQM) can give a semblance of legitimacy to these sham elections.
1) Contact the main leaders of PPP and show them your dissent. Below is their information. Please write/call/email/txt/ meet them in person to show your dissent with elections under emergency. Even if they don't pick up your call, THEY WILL READ YOUR SMSes! The main people to contact are:
Ms Sherry Rehman
Information Secretary
49-Old Clifton, Karachi051-9224129, 021-5834663-4, 0300-8222881, Personal Mobile: 0300-5001420 E-mail: centralinformationsecretary@gmail.com
Mr. Babar Awan
Treasurer
27-E, Ali Plaza, Blue Area, Islamabad. 051-2823778, 2276540,0320-4265000, Personal Mobile: 0300-5000161 E-mail: drbabarawan@hotmail.com
Mr. Farhatullah Babar
Assistant to Mohtarma
Personal Mobile 0300-8552543
Senator Mohammad Enver Baig
House No. 5, Street 55, F-7/4, Islamabad Tel: 2206778, Mobile: 0300-8542308; Fax: 2201107
E-mail: manpower@isb.apollo.net.pkmebaig@hotmail.com
Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto
Chairperson
H. No. 8, St. 19, F-8/2, Islamabad. 051-2282781, 2255264, Fax 2282741Personal Mobile (old number) 0300-5000001 (might not be available onthis but her secretary Awan will probably be.)E-mail: ppp@comsats.net.pk
Makhdoom Amin Fahim
Vice Chairman
11-A, 2nd Sun Set Street, DHA, Karachi, 021-5842140, 0228-31199, 051-2840588,0300-9221234 E-mail: csppp@comsats.net.pk
Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani
Vice Chairman
Gilani House, Ghaus-al-Azam Road, Multan, 155-B, Phase-I, Defence, Lahore061-542424, 0300-8448141, 8730662; 042-5723234.E-mail : makhdoomyrgillani@hotmail.com
Mr. Jehangir Bader
Secretary General
140/107 Karim Block, Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore. 042-5414990-1,0300-8470402; 051-2276014, Fax 051-2276016. E-mail: bader@brain.net.pk
Mian Raza Rabbani
Deputy Secretary General
H. No. 14/II, St. 31, Phase-V, Ext. DHA, Karachi:021-5865841-2, 0300-9291624, 051-9223854. E-mail: rrabbani@cyber.net.pk
Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi
Deputy Secretary General and President PPP Punjab
H. No.445, Bab-ul-Quresh, Muhallah Daulat Gate, Multan061-4514666, 042-5712289, 0300-8634453, E-mail: smhq148@hotmail.com
Mr. Sajjad Bokhari
Deputy Information Secretary
8 - Davis Road, LahoreTele: 042-63714559, 0300-8446754, E-mail: pppintl@lhr.paknet.com.pk
Mr. Babar Awan
Treasurer
27-E, Ali Plaza, Blue Area, Islamabad. 051-2823778, 2276540,0320-4265000 Personal Mobile: 0300-5000141E-mail: drbabarawan@hotmail.com
Central Secretariat Pakistan Peoples Party
House No. 1, Street 85, Sector G-6/4, IslamabadE-mail: csppp@comsats.net.pkTel: (92-51) 2276014-5
In addition if you know who the PPP person for your relevant area is you can find his/her number at: http://www.ppp.org.pk/party.html
2) Student Council's of various universities, lawyers' associations, journalist associations' and other relevant groups should send press releases boycotting the elections under emergency and under the the puppet supreme court and that all parties which take part in the elections without the restoration of the judges will be condemned, boycotted and unjoined, etc. If you want your university's press release to be sent to newspapers, email them to emergencymedia@gmail.com or emergencyinpakistan@gmail.com
3) Forward this message to as many mailing lists.When you forward this email please remove all previous information of the sender.
Make your voices heard!
Update on Muneer A Malik
There is news that Aitzaz Ahsan is being shifted to Lahore where his house will be declared a sub-jail and he will be placed under house arrest.
Get Real and Engage
Sunday, November 25, 2007
APDM to boycott elections
ISLAMABAD, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) -- A major opposition alliance in Pakistan Saturday decided it would boycott parliamentary elections if the constitution and sacked judges were not restored in four days.
At a meeting held here on Saturday, the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) also demanded withdrawal of the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) and restrictions on media in four days, according to the private NNI news agency.
(We welcome this decision by the APDM. One hopes the PPP and other parties will follow suit. These sham elections cannot be legitimized by participating in them. We encourage everyone to contact leaders from the political parties (especially the PPP) and relay to them this concern.)
the tide continues to turn..
What are we fighting for?
Battleground High Court: hundreds upon hundreds of lawyers, young and old, men and women are dragged by their foreheads into dark and narrow police vans and no one knows where they are being taken. Court property is smashed, innocents are beaten up. On November the fifth, a false hope which had long bred inaction is killed, a nation is shocked to its senses. Someone up in the echelons of power is counting upon our silence but makes a fatal mistake and drags into the fight a force that should have been there all along: the students. Perhaps by another mistake, the students are allowed to leave battleground High Court.
We have been asked if we were there to observe as the country’s institutional foundations were set ablaze. Somehow, people manage to be surprised when we tell them that we were there to join the fight – the fight that lawyers and other civil society groups were, and still are, putting up for constitutional governance in Pakistan. More than two weeks down the lane, we are still fighting. We have rallied and protested, spoken and assembled countless times and in countless places. We have reached out to the halls of power, inside and outside this country. Above, all we are reaching out to the people. Let there be no mistake: we are not here to quit. No ruler should even count on our silence again. We cannot stay out of it any more because the nation has called. We will overthrow absolutist and arbitrary government and we will stay to safeguard democracy once we usher it in.
We do not fight at the behest of any political party or any political figure. We fight, just like the lawyers, as an independent, peaceful and organized group of citizens – the students. Our objectives are: the restoration of the constitution and the judiciary to what they were before November 3; release of martial law prisoners; revocation of curbs on the media; and revival of representative government by free and fair elections. These are rights that we are entitled to as humans and citizens. If we are denied these, we will not wait and observe, because half a century of waiting and observing by us and our parents has landed us nowhere. We will not beg for a ruler’s mercy because we, the people, are above that. We must fight until we get them. It is true that the re-emergence of students in politics is a complex phenomenon. But the bottom-line is that simple.
In this fight, we refuse to use or condone violence. Violence is the oppressors’ weapon; we shall win the hearts and minds. We stand on a higher moral ground and ultimately the moral force of our struggle will melt all that confronts it. We know who it is that we are up against. But there is no power on God’s earth greater than the power of the people, if they stand together.
As oppressors quiver, our loved ones’ hearts also quake. But in their heart of hearts they, and the whole nation, are proud of us. They know that the time has come for the youth to inherit the earth with all its bounties and all its struggles. We strive for constitutional and representative governance because it is worth our while and because we are convinced that somewhere, somehow, victory is just around the corner.
- Student Action Comittee at LUMS
LUMS faculty condemns arrest of PU faculty members
23 November 2007
As a continuation of the attack on all civil institutions, and in line with Extra-Constitutional Rule, Gen. Musharraf and the interim Government of Punjab have instituted sedition charges against 14 members of the academic staff of Punjab University.
The FIR against them, under sections 124-A, 188, 143/149 and 16-MPO, was registered at the Muslim Town Police station. They have been charged with sedition and provoking the masses against the government for its action of imposing emergency and promulgating the PCO. The FIR was registered after the above teachers had taken part in demonstrations against the suspension of the constitution, the promulgation of emergency and for the restoration of the constitution and the judiciary. These were peaceful protests held inside the campus.
The academic staff of Punjab University is continuing its protest against the government and the Chancellor of the university and is demanding the withdrawal of FIRs against all 14 members of faculty.
The undersigned faculty members of the Lahore University of Management Sciences condemn the attempt, through harassment and intimidation, to silence voices of reason whose only fault is their desire to restore democracy and the rule of law in Pakistan. We also condemn extra Constitutional Rule that suspends academia’s and the wider citizenries’ constitutional rights of freedom of assembly and association.
We demand the withdrawal of the charges against the faculty members of Punjab University. We express solidarity with our colleagues at Punjab University and all citizens engaged in the just struggle to end the state of emergency, restore the constitution and the rule of law, the lifting of the ban on the press and the restoration of the Supreme Court and the Judiciary.
Signatories to appeal:
Syed Aun Abbas
Asad Abidi
Nasir Afghan
Khurram Afridi
Shazia Afzal
Zeeshan Ahmed
Asad Alam
Syed Mubashir Ali
Syed Zahid Ali
Naveed Arshad
Hassan Azad
Sadaf Aziz
Shahab Baqai
Faisal Bari
Mohammad Basharullah
Faqir Bhatti
Shaukat Brah
Abid Burki
Aslam Butt
Ali Cheema
Saeed Ghazi
Syed Nomanul Haq
Ehsan ul Haque
Omair Haroon
Syed Zahoor Hassan
Faheem Hussain
Turab Hussain
Wasiq Hussain
Jahangir Ikram
M. Ashraf Iqbal
Faheem ul Islam
Tariq M. Jadoon
Zaeem Jafri
Asim Karim
Furrukh Khan
Jamshed H. Khan
Maryam Khan
Jawwad S. Khawaja
Miguel Loureiro
Shahid Masud
Shandana Mohmand
Khalid Mir
Nabil Mustafa
Shehreen Najam
M. Farooq Naseer
Anjum Nasim
Roger Normand
Manasa Patnam
Taimur Rahman
Rasul Baksh Rais
Hassna Ramay
Khalid Rasheed
Imran Rashid
Reehana Raza
Masood H. Shah
Sultan Sial
Osama Siddique
Sarah Zaidi
Tasneem Zehra
Nouman Zubair
Witness account of the arrest of Advocate Athar Minallah
Saturday, November 24, 2007
HRCP denounces Ballach’s killing
Lahore, November 23: Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is shocked and grieved at the killing of Ballach Marri. Whatever anybody may have had against the slain Baloch leader and whatever the circumstances of his liquidation the incident is likely to increase the Balochistan people’s alienation from the state. What is needed now is not merely a thorough probe to determine the truth about the most regrettable happening, it is time reliance on force as the sole means of securing peace and tranquility in Balochistan was given up.
Reflecting on Khalil Jibran in current times
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave, eats a bread it
does not harvest, and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero, and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream, yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice save when it walks in a funeral, boasts not except among its ruins, and will rebel not save when its neck is laid between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox, whose philosopher is a juggler, and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting, and farewells him with hooting, only to welcome another with trumpeting again.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into fragments, each fragment deeming itself a nation.
A message from a student worker in the Pakistan Movement
The following is a letter we recieved from Mr.Moizuddin, a student worker in the Pakistan Movement.. His words offer a great deal of perspective for us, as students, to gain strength and inspiration in these dark days..
"Bravo young persons.. You have shown a light at the end of a tunnel ..The tunnel is long and appears to be getting longer .. But the light is there .. Shown by you.. Imagine who is saying so ! An unknown student-worker in the Pakistan Movement I passed my Matriculation in 1945 Saw Hazrat Quaid e Azam RahmatuLlah alaih in 1945, and then from 14th August 1947 onward in Karachi. Had he been alive todayhe would have patted you on the back Patted the way he used to pat the members of All India Muslim Students Federation ... the students of Aligarh Muslim University ... of Islamia College Lahore... of Islamia College Peshawar ... of Bombay University and everywhere. Students were his hope in the fulfillment of his dreams during his life time... The students made him breathe his last peacefully... 76 years old persons like me also wish to die peacefully; they can not come out and be a part of your meetings,demonstrations, protest march .. But there is a big stride intechnology. I can be with you electronically In my youthful days it was impossible to take out a mass message in print ... The Printing Press was under strict surveillance. The cyclostyling-machine(ever seen one?) was available far and wide. Maybe one in miles, often owned by a Hindu. Now you have all the access to dissemination of information, at the click of a finger. You ought to be able to perform much, much more Please keep your Agenda brief In my times the agenda was one point " ley ke rahenge Pakistan" Avoid direct clash with Police Our Quaid was never arrested But when he gave the call of 'Direct Action' for 16th (or 15th) August 1946, thousands laid their life in one day Most of them in Calcutta It was a call for one day onlyI am in no position to give any suggestion to you But In my age I am as convinced of the power in Prayer.. as in the power to demonstrate publicly May I be permitted to please suggest that you find some moments for prayers or public prayers in the open How to pray publicly and jointly? Please find an answer to this by public consensus..The prayers work .. They did in my days too ! ---------------------I wish you all the success in all that you may do.."
Corruption under Musharraf
As all of us know, Transparancy International is the most well known corruption rating agency worldwide. Overthrows of most civilian governments in the 1990's were justified by referring to this agency's findings. They had rated Pakistan the third most corrupt country in the world in 1996. Musharraf regime made wide use of their findings in projecting a negative image of all political parties and leaderships. It is another matter that he included the most corrupt elements among the civilians in his own governments. Using the same methodology, Transparancy International has claimed in their 2006 report that the Musharraf government (2002-2006) is more corrupt (67%) than PPP's second government (48%) and Nawaz Sharif phase II (34%). Unfortunately, for some strange reason, the mainstream political parties and civil society organizations have not used the data presented in this report the way the military regime had used against the civilian governments. It has been the most frequently used weapon by the military regime to malign civilians and justify continuation of military rule in Pakistan in the last eight years and many supporters of Musharraf in the liberal elite hold the same view. This report presents a very dark picture of corruption in Pakistan under Musharraf. It is high time that civil society organizations expose both institutional and common corruption under the military rulers and break the myth of clean government under them.
Delegates throng candle light vigil at LUMS
