In Zafar Ali Shah v/s General Pervez Musharraf (2000) case, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), led by Chief Justice Irshad Hasan Khan, legitimized Musharraf’s coup conditionally, requiring him to restore democracy in the country in three years. Quite unexpectedly, however, 9/11 offered him a long lease of Pakistan’s Presidency, which he grabbed as a […]
Is Pakistan’s Judiciary ‘Blind?’ – II
The self-promoted Field Marshal, with self-conferred Hilal-e-Pakistan and Hilal-e-Jura’at, resigned as President of Pakistan on 25 March 1969. And, as a parting kick to the nation, in his capacity as founding father of the khaki dynasty, handed over power to the Army Commander-in-Chief, not The Speaker, National Assembly, in blatant contravention of the Constitution, “enacted” […]
Is Pakistan’s Judiciary ‘Blind’? – I
“Justice is blind”. This figurative expression originated from the blind-fold donned by Lady Justice – an allegorical personification of moral force in judicial systems. It symbolizes fairness, impartiality and the rule of law, applied blindly, without any regard for status – wealth and power. Now, the question whether justice in ostensibly Islamic as well as […]
The Wolf and the Lamb (Part XII)
The chequered history of Pakistan’s rollercoaster relationship with the US suggests that birds of the same feather don’t necessarily make good partners. The two had a number of commonalities and were on the same page on almost everything except India and Israel. Which is what ruined a potentially enviable partnership! The birth of Pakistan was […]
The Wolf and the Lamb (Part XI)
The claim that “Pakistan has been the most bullied ally of the US” is based on a fallacious premise and only partly valid. The US did bully Pakistan the most and bullied it most ruthlessly, but it is a misnomer to describe Pakistan as its ally. Alliances are always between equals, needing one another equally. […]
The Wolf and the Lamb (Part X)
In 2001, President Pervez Musharraf told President Bush that Pakistan was with the US. But it didn’t take him long to realise that the US was not with Pakistan; having intimidated Pakistan into submission, it was going all-out for India. Negotiations on the US-India Civil Nuclear Agreement were started in 2005. The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue […]
The Wolf and the Lamb (Part IX)
The US’ “War on Terror” was an intriguing misadventure. Among other things, it saw allies fighting with, against and hoodwinking one another concurrently. Quite naturally, therefore, it met the fate it deserved. Pakistan, illusioned to be a Non-NATO ally of the US, stood by Washington’s puppets in Kabul. It ditched its next-door ally in the […]
The Wolf and the Lamb -VIII
President Pervez Musharraf had joined the US’ invasion of Afghanistan under duress. But his successors, beholden to the Condoleezza-Rice-brokered National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) of 5 October 2007, converted the fait accompli into a personal opportunity. Humbled by the way “she (had) toiled for many sleepless nights to bring Musharraf and Benazir together”, they reassured Washington […]
The Wolf and the Lamb –VII
President Pervez Musharraf, unnerved by President Bush’s blatant ultimatum of 6 November 2001, allowed the CIA, secretly, to fly unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) from Shamsi Airfield to target “terrorists” within Pakistan. He wanted the drones to operate under Pakistan’s control but the US did not agree. The US Air Force, operating under the CIA’s Special […]
The Wolf and the Lamb — VI
The US-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) needed Pakistan to invade and occupy land-locked Afghanistan. Its first and foremost preoccupation was to ensure supplies to Kabul – securely and cheaply. The air supply operation at the beginning of the war was the third largest in history, after the Berlin and the 1990 Gulf War Airlifts. […]