The Art of Blackmail
In this province, the state has seldom done anything to establish law and order. Tragedies here are used as an excuse to crush dissent rather than end sectarian violence.
If the state is serious about protecting the Hazara, it can start with creating a clear strategy over addressing these two issues. While it is at it, we can also hope that the Prime Minister learns some empathy. It goes a long way.
Eternal Grief
No individual who fostered a system that allowed militants to walk into a school and kill indiscriminately has been held accountable. Elected ministers, members of law enforcement, the security establishment, all get to walk away and blame ‘bad intelligence’.
The Hammer
For the dissenting voice in Pakistan, the coloniser never left.
Their instruments for curbing political dissent are always kept within arm’s reach by a state whose insecurities know no fundamental rights, no morality, and no limits.
The Black Box
In numerous judgments, the Supreme Court of Pakistan has stressed the need for transparency, accountability, and objective decision-making by all other institutions of government. Yet, the appointment process for High Court judges lacks all three elements.
The Reference: Part 2
In twin judicial opinions, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Baqar have gone further than the majority judgment in highlighting the illegal actions pursued by the federal government in their quest to depose Justice Isa.
The Reference: Part 1
Justice Isa — according to the Supreme Court — committed no act that would amount to misconduct. The judgment clarifies that the President, Prime Minister, and Law Minister had no basis in law or fact to justify letting the genie out of the bottle.
Team of Rivals
This may not be the perfect solution. This may not be the perfect opposition. But it is the best we have at the moment — we will take it.
Principles of Accountability
Legitimacy depends on fairness. People believe in court decisions if they are seen as the outcome of a fair process. That faith is lost when the process appears rigged in favour of one side so that outcomes become foregone conclusions. NAB’s powers are both structured, and exercised, in a way that gives the impression of selective accountability. The NAB Ordinance must be repealed, and a new system, one that respects due process, the dignity of every person, and the rule of law, needs to be enacted.
Eye of the Storm
Long-lasting change in Sindh can only come about by implementing an effective local government system. To achieve this, it is time for the Sindh Assembly to revisit the SLGA and devolve power in the way envisioned by the 18th Amendment.
Thought Police
The Government of Punjab isn’t concerned about educating our children, but concerned with making sure critical thinking is suppressed.
Green All Over
Most people, our politicians included, seem to believe that Pakistan is a bastion for religious harmony. Members of the Hindu faith, whose temple is causing such unnecessary controversy, would beg to disagree. They have been the scapegoats for pent-up fury by Pakistanis at the actions of India in the past. When the Babri Masjid incident happened in 1992, the reaction in Pakistan was for mobs to destroy over a 100 Hindu temples in their best impression of our national hero Mahmud of Ghaznavi.
On Our Own
Whether you are for lockdowns or not, one thing we can all agree on is that the government’s messaging has been poor. Adding to the problem at every turn.
The Annual 18th Amendment Debate
Critics of the 18th Amendment should understand that the PTI did not win the Sindh government. As per our Constitution, that means the province has autonomy no matter how much this may frustrate the Centre. To tear down the 18th Amendment on this basis is ludicrous. It would put individual rule on a higher pedestal than institutional development.
Prisoners in Pandemics
The saga of the rights of prisoners during a pandemic ended with the Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan deciding that only a limited category of prisoners awaiting trial deserved temporary freedom. In doing so, the SC refused to go as far as the more expansive judgment authored by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). This unfortunate result stems from the SC not considering vital legal principles that bore crucial relevance to the issue before them.
Flatten the Curve
The actions taken during this extraordinary moment in history will be scrutinised from every angle in the years to come. Public figures that downplayed the threat before it gorged on their healthcare systems will be cited as examples of inept leadership. Inaction will be the cardinal sin in the story of the coronavirus.
Fear in the time of Covid-19
Apathy is a deadly vice when dealing with pandemics. Even more so when you are given a rather generous three-month headstart to get on top of things. If you still aren’t ready for what’s coming after that you have no one to blame but yourself.
Did the JUI-F Commit Treason?
An allegation of treason should not be made lightly. Especially not by the prime minister of a country against a political opponent. It takes away from the gravity of the only criminal offence proscribed in the Constitution of Pakistan. It also equates a political opponent with this country’s rogues’ gallery of past authoritarian rulers.
Dissent is Patriotism
To jail and label as terrorists our citizens who are peacefully asking for their constitutional rights is a shameful display of our lack of commitment to freedom. As this injustice grows, the silence of our Prime Minister is the most deafening. There is no justification for this silence. He must support the cause of justice. He must stand against intolerance and bigotry. He must implement a constitutional system where rights are more powerful than their restrictions.
A Matter of Principle
In Pakistan, it is hard to say what principles guide the big three political parties of our country. Their core manifestos seem to change rapidly according to what needs to be done to stay in power a bit longer, often sacrificing the greater good of the country for a larger share in the political pie.
Making Politics Work
To make our politics work, to make sure that our people come to trust this process rather than the dictatorship model, we must implement the Constitution’s guarantee of local governments. To be sure, in order to implement these steps our elected parliamentarians would have to give up their own power. They would have to put the interests of the people before their own. Yet, our politicians should note that if they fail to make these changes then we will be left with a broken political system in which people will lose trust day by day.