Appointing judges — structuring the judicial discretion on June 3, 2018In 1996, the Supreme Court of Pakistan in Al-Jehad Trust Case ruled that recommendations of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), for appointments in the superior judiciary, are binding upon the President of Pakistan. In 2010, with the purpose to decentralise the powers of the CJP, vide the eighteenth and nineteenth amendments, Article 175-A was […]
The verdict and the constitutional supremacy on March 2, 2018The Election Act 2017 was enacted to circumvent the first proviso to Article 5 of the Political Parties Order 2002 (PPO) that barred a disqualified parliamentarian to head a political party. Accordingly, by virtue of section 203(1) of the Election Act 2017 which states: “Every citizen, not in the service of Pakistan, shall have the […]
Thought controlling squads on November 9, 2017John Stuart Mill, one of the original utilitarian thinkers, often dubbed as the most influential English speaking political philosopher of nineteenth century, in his book On Liberty emphasised that even flawed, loathsome opinions should be allowed to be expressed freely. The rationale behind Mill’s theory is that in presence of erroneous opinions, correct opinions become […]
The inglorious enactment on October 13, 2017For promoting the ratification of the US Constitution, James Madison (fourth president of USA) in collaboration with Alexander Hamilton and Jon Jay, wrote the ‘The Federalist Papers’. In one of the paper, Madison wrote “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on […]
Conscious hypocrisy on September 29, 2017 It will not be an exaggeration to assert that the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. In the year 1982, General Ne Win’s government purposely enacted the infamous Burmese Citizenship Law, which failed to recognise the Rohingya as one of the ‘Eight national races’ in Myanmar, […]
Despicable glorification on August 30, 2017“Hindustan had become free, Pakistan had become independent but man was still slave in both these countries, slave of prejudice, religious fanaticism, barbarity and inhumanity.” These are the words of the champion of black humour and short story writing, Saadat Hasan Manto. Manto’s writings were daring, prophetic and visionary; he was a wizard with a […]
A tale of two prime ministers on August 8, 2017“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it […]
One sheep, two wolves and democracy on July 24, 2017This quote is actually an extract from the book titled “Lost Rights: The Destruction of American Liberty” authored by James Bovard, the American libertarian writer and a candid critic of cronyism. Abraham Lincolns resounding Gettysburg Address taught me “democracy is for the people, of the people and by the people”. Study of political thought revealed […]
The infamous salute on July 7, 2017“If you salute your duty, you don’t need to salute anybody. But if you pollute your duty, you have to salute everybody”. The aforesaid quote is attributed to Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, the scientist turned statesman who, in the year 2002, was unanimously elected as the eleventh President of India. Few years ago, I met […]