Pak Tea House » lawyers movement
Another aspect of the judgment
By Asma Jahangir Dawn 19 Dec, 2009 The NRO case, Dr Mubashar Hasan and others versus the federation, has once again stirred a hornet’s nest. There is thunderous applause for bringing the accused plunderers and criminals to justice and widespread speculation on the resignation of the president. Very little analysis is being done on the overall effect of the judgment itself. While, the NRO can never be defended even on the plea of keeping the system intact, the Supreme Court judgment has wider political implications. It may not, in the long run, uproot corruption from Pakistan but will make the apex court highly controversial. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy, Justice, Law, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Parliament, state
NRO- The monster finally caged!
The monstrous crimes committed, to fabricate illogical laws and illegal ordinances, created by these criminals to protect their own self and others who participated in those practises to ruin Pakistan has now finally taken place with Supreme Court’s verdict on 16th December. The looters, plunderers will have to face the consequences of their actions and face those trials which they avoided through any means available to them- through NRO, through political needs of survival in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Army, Citizens, Civil Service, Democracy, Economy, Education, human rights, Islamabad, Jinnah, journalism, Justice, lawyers movement, Media, movements, Multinational Corporations, Pakistan, Parliament, Politics, poverty, Zardari
NRO Void Ab Initio
By YLH The Supreme Court of Pakistan has declared the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance (“NRO”) void ab initio. This is a historical development in our judicial history from a jurisprudential point of view. 1. Quoting the Indian precedent of Indira Nehru Gandhi v. Raj Narain the learned counsel- Pakistan’s finest in my view- Salman Akram Raja argued that there could be no “legislative judgment”. Indian Supreme Court had declared null and void a proposed constitutional amendment introduced by the prime minister that stopped the judiciary from adjudicating on the validity of elections. The prime minister wanted the executive branch to determine how elections were to be administered in India. This contention has been accepted by the Pakistan Supreme Court. Now there may never a legislative judgement and this would have profound jurisprudential consequences. We will do well now to extend this logic to other issues which need … Read entire article »
Filed under: Law, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Politics
Crisis of Conviction
Conviction, consensus, leadership: How democracy should work By Farrukh Khan Pitafi (Cross-Post, written Oct 13, 2009) Recently an article by Farahnaz Isphahani titled “Democracy does deliver” (dated September 29, 2009) appeared in a section of the press. Having read some of Ms Isphahani’s previous security papers I can appreciate her mastery over words. However if I was expecting something ethereal from this piece I was sorely disappointed. What she lauds as a diplomatic win and which she considers a proof of democracy’s deliverance unfortunately is nothing more than the assurance of further foreign aid and not any historic empowerment of this nation. If my memory serves me right aid was given during the time of the recent dictator too. Similarly events like the FoDP also used to take place including Musharraf’s groundbreaking address … Read entire article »
Filed under: baluchistan, Democracy, journalism, Justice, lawyers movement, Pakistan, USA
Pro-People Supreme Court tells NEPRA to behave
While the Nay-sayers continue to abuse the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Lawyers’ Movement, the SCP has struck another one for the people. -YLH … Read entire article »
Filed under: lawyers movement, Pakistan
The Supreme Court has Summoned Musharraf
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has summoned General Musharraf to explain why he dismissed the court and imposed “emergency” rule in 2007. One can only wonder what the good general will say but one thing is for sure, the Army will probably not be forthcoming in allowing its former chief to be dragged into court. The next few weeks are going to be interesting. Pakistan’s Supreme Court today ordered former military ruler Pervez Musharraf to appear before it next week to explain why he imposed emergency rule in 2007 and sacked about 60 judges. … Read entire article »
Filed under: lawyers movement, Pakistan
Poem: Waris Shah Vs Aitzaz Ahsan
by Bradistan Waris Shah Vs. Aitzaz Ahsan (In the Court of Supreme Judge ALLAH The Almighty) A Tribute to Late Amrita Pritam aaj aakhaaN Aitzaz nuuN aaj aakhaN AITZAZ AHSAN nuuN, kitoN Chamber vichchoN bol, te aaj kitab-e -Knoon daa koii aglaa varkaa phol ik Uthyaa sii Wada Kanoon Daan, tuuN likh likh maare Byaan, aaj SWAT DE Dhiyaan rondiaa, tainuN Aitzaz Ahsan nuN kahen Jaag dardmandaaN diaa dardiaa, Jaag Pakistani Jaag … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, ancient civilisations, Arts and Crafts, Citizens, culture, Democracy, Europe, Fiction, Heritage, History, human rights, Identity, India, Islam, Islamism, journalism, Justice, Languages, lawyers movement, Left, Literature, Love, Media, minorities, movements, Music, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Philosophy, poetry, Politics, Punjabi, Religion, Rights, Rural, Society, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, youth
Pakistan: Reclaiming the Indus Person
By Aisha Fayyazi Sarwari There are so many ways for Americans to find themselves if they are lost: They can read Eyewitness to America, an anthology of people who were there when the US was created; they could go to Gettysburg or heck, just rent the TVC; or they could go to the Metropolitan Museum in New York; or take a course with Professor Noam Chomsky or Howard Zinn. … Read entire article »
Filed under: ancient civilisations, Architecture, History, India, Jinnah, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Partition
Silence of the Lambs
Silence of the Lambs By Samad Khurram Back in 2002, I was returning from Friday prayers when I saw an unusual gathering of singing and quasi-dancing Mullahs. Unusual because I had always assumed Mullahs to be against all types of Kuffar (Art). The amused crowd were listening to chants of “Taliban aa gayay, Taliban aa gayay”. I smirked. As if! Pakistan is a nuclear country with the seventh largest army. We’re safe. The Mullahs’ songs have been answered … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Army, Citizens, Democracy, FATA, India, Islam, Jinnah, lawyers movement, North-West Frontier Province, Northern Areas, Pakistan, Parliament, Religion, Rights, Taliban, Terrorism, youth
Pakistani media: power sans responsibility
[TFT] A partisan media is biting the hand of democracy that feeds it, says Raza Rumi It was hoped by many that the electronic media following its exponential growth during the last few years would take stock of its roles and responsibilities. However, the years 2007 and 2008 were not the best of times for such an introspection to materialise into a self-regulation process. Authoritarian or transitional environments are not conducive to a culture of informed debate and the evolution of sound regulatory regimes. Nevertheless, there have been scattered noises and appeals by many observers, analysts and concerned citizens even within the media community. From the brutality of displaying dismembered limbs on television screens to creating a panic-oriented news culture and relegating the status of objective ‘anchors’ to partisan political … Read entire article »
Filed under: Democracy, lawyers movement, Media, Pakistan
Imran Obama Debate
The Imran-Obama Debate: Yes we can. By Bradistan Calling The election of Barak Hussein Obama, the first Black President of United States of America, has started interesting debates all over the world. In Britain the search is on, for a “first Asian or Muslim prime minister”, although all the indicators and the analysis of the political hierarchy tells us that it might be another half a century before such a election becomes a possibility. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Colonialism, Cricket, Democracy, dynasties, human rights, India, Islam, Islamism, Justice, lawyers movement, Left, minorities, North-West Frontier Province, Pakistan, Politics, Punjabi, Religion, south asia, Sufism, Taliban, Terrorism, USA, Women, youth
A Solution to Pakistan’s Judicial Crises
We have heard of too many problems, challenges and crises. Here are a set of credible and do-able solutions by Shaheryar Azhar. Only if someone is listening. Raza Rumi In an eternal echo reminiscent of Pakistan’s genesis, we have repeatedly abandoned our personal responsibility in addressing our fundamental issues of nationhood and governance at critical junctures of our history. Do we always need a foreign power to yank us out of our fantasies into reality and thus come to our so-called rescue? Long before America mid-wived the famous or infamous (depending on your point of view) deal between General Musharraf and PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhuto, this moderator and some others had argued repeatedly on the following lines: “It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out that if the largest … Read entire article »
Filed under: Justice, lawyers movement, Politics, public policy
Imran’s Pakistan
We have removed the earlier cartoon borrowed from the internet. We had used it in jest and posted it simply that it was funny. However, it seemed to have conveyed wrong signals and by no means we wanted to offend Imran Khan or his supporters. Therefore, it has been removed for we do not want the animated discussion to digress. PTH apologises for this oversight – after all we the Pakistanis can be extremely ‘sensitive’ … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, Democracy, lawyers movement, Pakistan, Politics
The Lawyers' movement and the PPP: an unnecessary confrontation
By Yasser Latif Hamdani It is important that we, as a nation, don’t forget history- especially that which is etched in our recent memory. 10 years ago Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was firmly ensconced as the Prime Minister of this Republic with a 2/3rds majority – largest ever accorded to any political leader in this country. He overplayed his hand and was ultimately ousted by the Army. He had acted against the Army only after having decisively tackled the presidency and then the judiciary. His actions against the judiciary should be of special interest especially the infamous assault on the Supreme Court building which looked to many at the time as nothing less than the storming of Bastille itself. After all since 1955, the Supreme Court (or Federal Court as it … Read entire article »
Filed under: Activism, lawyers movement, movements, Politics
Who Cares about Education in Pakistan?
You know, it’s a good time to talk about education in Pakistan–especially with the op-ed in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristoff a couple of days ago that’s been so much the talk of the Pakistani chatterosphere (online and off) since. But this morning, the talk of the town is a piece of news that the Chief Justice (not Iftikhar Chaudhry, the person currently occupying that office) used his influence to get his daughter’s grades/marks in High School “improved”, to give her a better shot at various things one wants to do after High School and which are based, in Pakistan, often even more on that performance than it is in other places. [I pretty much started my journalistic career with a piece about that process; back in ... oh, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Education, Justice, Law, lawyers movement, movements, Pakistan, Politics, Society, state
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