Here we go round and round the mulberry bush! Chief Justice Athar Minallah does not believe in going slow. Just a day after the Islamabad High Court had declared the naval club built on the federal capital illegal, his gavel historically pounded against the ever-so-popular Monal Restaurant.
By calling into question the perks being enjoyed by the perpetually untouchable three wings of the armed forces, especially when it comes to encroachments over public land, Justice Minallah is setting a landmark precedent, indeed. For under his watch, the judiciary is saying out loud what continues to be whispered in drawing rooms all over. Though countless reports–some, even by the auditor general office–have hinted at the thorny interlude between the security establishments and the commercial interests (hello, the biggest gated community in the country), this brazen misuse always seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
The past few months have, however, seen the uptake of a holy crusade. As Supreme Court comes down heavy on Falcon Mall in Karachi and orders the handover of the leased park to Karachi Metropolitan Corporation while swirling talk of the utility of wedding halls and cinemas becomes the order of the day, the stakes could not get any higher. However fundamental Monal may be to posh cliques in Islamabad, pressure groups better think twice before heading for the streets. Because they might have gotten immune to the cries of those languishing in the iron-clad grasp of the land mafia but the tragic destruction of the wildlife sanctuary could resonate with the in-vogue championing of animal rights.
It can only be hoped that with the uncorking of this crucial debate, behind-the-screen regularisations here, there and everywhere are not only brought to the spotlight but finally bid adieu to. The honourable judges should be commended for their daring acts in the name of the supremacy of law but sadly, notices alone do not carry the magic word. Despite specific orders issued by the country’s top court, nothing changed on the ground.
And whenever it does, the law cherry-picks whose feet it should hold to fire. Usually, the mighty and the wealthy stand as amused audience and the hapless citizenry is sandbagged. *