STRAIGHT TALK by Hafeez Khan
The flagship of Generals’ Constitutional Package is being pushed by their toadies to create an all–powerful Federal Court controlling all Constitutional matters. Existing Supreme Courts’ wings will be severely clipped and Federal Chief Justice will reign supreme. “Toadies” means“person(s) who flatter others in the hope of receiving favors.” These days Bilawal Zardari is the Top Toady seeking to push the package through in the hope of replacing Shahbaz as the Prime Minister. This entire set-up is a sand castle based on legless MNAs who owe their existence to cooked-up Form 47s. People’s verdict has been rendered meaningless; replacing a PM is a piece of cake, cut at will by GHQ.
Should the Constitutional Amendments pass, present Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa will take over the Federal Court for a term of three years to be nominated by PM Shahbaz. The justification being pushed by Toady–in–Chief, Bilawal Zardari, is that 60,000 cases are pending in Supreme Court and Constitutional matters are consuming 90% of the Courts time. Total lie. The truth, as revealed by JUI’s Constitutional Expert, is that only 200 constitutional cases are pending in SC consuming less than 10% time of the Court. 59,800 are regular civil and criminal matters. A whole new setup of Federal Court system is being erected to deal with 200 cases!
Bilawal is a dumb liar, seriously in need of a fact-checker before he opens his mouth. PM Shahbaz Sharif is trying to claw back some lost territory by singing praises of Army Chief for his great contributions! Both of them realize they have meagre support from the electoral base and they serve at the pleasure of GHQ. The generals will choose who wears the crown of thorns; depending on who pulls the Amendments through.
If the objective is to reduce the backlog of pending cases through judicial reforms, it should start from the lower courts where millions are languishing for decades. The need of the hour is a bottom-up approach, not top-down.Creating a Federal Court is a fallacy and waste of scarce resources. JUI’s proposal of creating a Constitutional Bench within the existing Supreme Court is the best option that PTI should seriously consider and own upto. The evil Constitutional Amendments would have passes Mid-September were it not for the bold moves on two fronts.Maulana Fazal’s refusal to support and Supreme Courts’s eight-member clarification that torpedoed ECP’s devious plans in special seats case. The government had lined up 7 PTI Members to vote in favor of the Amendments. It was a touch and go; thank you Maulana and CJ Judges.
Every day the chances of passing these Amendments are depleting. Maulana Fazal has countered this challenge by presenting JUI’s version. It has been shared with PTI. Thisversion takes the wind out of the sails of this nefarious plan. The opposition is building up. A vast majority of lawyers’ community are going to fight it. Resistance has started from within the judiciary. A five-member bench in Supreme Court refused to take up cases fixed by an illegal committee formed through an Ordinance by rubber stamp President Zardari. Add to the mix PTI’s resistance; the Government has a fight on their hands.
According to my information, General Asim Muneer’s father was a school teacher and subsequently aheadmaster. He grew up in an academic environment where he would have seen how his dad dealt with students, including the errant ones. For someone from that background, he should be sensitized to the fact that using the stick to solve all issues is a disastrous strategy. Yet the General has one size fits all approach for anyone daring to dissent. The latest is the Federal Government’s lashing out against the Pashtoon Qaumi Jirga organized by Manzoor Pashteen. It left 4 dead and a dozen injured.
Under this undeclared martial law, everything is being done to weaken the fabric of this nation. Baluchistan’speaceful fight for their rights has been brutalized. A vigorous leader, Mahrum Baluch, had channelized this disgruntlement into peaceful protests. That process was brutally suppressed and now it is feeding into armed resistance. The same is being repeated in KP. Pashtoons have a structured society that has been the norm for generations. Their elders wield tremendous clout. An attack on the council of elders is an attempt to disrespect the true spirit of honor. That resistance cannot be suppressed.
PTI’s demonstration in Islamabad had a tremendous buildup. We all witnessed the determined angry looks in the eyes of the protestors. It must have sent shivers up the spine of the powerful. Unfortunately, it petered out due to disproportionate reliance on one man. Freedom struggle is protracted; it is a war with many battles. You win some and lose some. The flaw of not having enough backup leadership to replace a fallen general is a temporary setback that needs to be avoided moving forward. The bond between Imran Khan and his supporters is strengthening with each battle.
IK’s support is no longer adulation of a popular hero. It has evolved into a firm commitment to achieve freedom from the corrupt elite mafia being protected by the Generals. It is a futuristic vision that masses have bought into. The freedom bug is infectious and it is consuming the hearts and minds of Pakistanis. The Generals and their toadies seem to be headed to an oxygen tent that can be disconnected once the masses reignite their protests. Better days are coming.
