Mr Yousaf Raza Gilani – the prime accused in “a case of a brazen and blatant failure or refusal of the Federal Government to obey and execute the relevant judgment and directions of the Supreme Court” (as observed by the five-member apex court bench in Jan 10 verdict), who happens to be the prime minister of Pakistan – decided to “bow before the law” in a carefully orchestrated pomp and ceremony that unfolded Thursday morning on the Constitution Avenue in the capital.
Fearing that heavens will start falling at around 9:30am or soon afterwards, our law enforcing agencies laid a siege to the so-called “Red Zone” in a pre-dawn deployment. Then nobody was allowed to enter the zone on their vehicles and people, including lawyers, litigants and journalists, had to traverse miles to reach the Supreme Court building.
Follies of those who matter in this country did not end here. The prime minister emerged himself driving a Prado in a motorcade of dozens of escort vehicles with sirens wailing and roaring helicopters hovering a few meters above. He was waving cheerfully to the party crowds and well-wishers assembled in the vicinity of the apex court. All this indeed exposed the prime minister’s true intention in adopting a ‘solemn’ approach to ‘respectfully’ and ‘humbly’ surrender before the highest judicial forum – in sheer negation of the equity that enunciates equality among all citizens before law.
If the prime minister had been summoned, none other than the court itself should have ensured that its dignity and decorum does not get jeopardised and compromised, come what may. It should have acted robustly to jealously guard its esteem, particularly when it was thoughtful of the 1997 event of summoning a prime minister and the ensuing rowdyism and ransacking at the hands of a mob. Therefore, it should have authorised someone – from its administration – to watchfully examine the nitty-gritty of the prime minister’s arrival in advance.
The PPP leaders who flocked the apex court to show solidarity with their parliamentary leader in fact succeeded in advocating their, what many believe, “martyrdom” case more magnificently and prophetically than their chief rescuer, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, flanked by constitutional wizard Raza Rabbani, who were picked by the prime minister somewhat belatedly but purposely to defend him in Court Room No 4 on that eventful day.
It was none other than Rehman Malik – our ambitious interior minister who once dreamt of getting the coveted command of the ISI – who orchestrated this pomp and circumstance. Speaking in the Senate of Pakistan later in the day, he ‘regretted’ for scrambling helicopters ahead of the prime minister’s arrival while responding to criticism of the follies. But, there was no use to cry over spilt milk. Sanity should have prevailed from the outset.
Mr Malik deserves all the praise as his cameo appearance in this episode too worked wonders for his party and the government. However, the court, perhaps mercifully and thankfully, exempted the prime minister from appearing in person on Febuary 1, otherwise repetition of the Jan 19 unbridled show of power could have once again landed lawyers, judges, journalists and litigants, especially the general public, who live in the capital or travel on the Constitution Avenue, into a quagmire of inconveniences and troubles that descended along with showers in the Red Zone on Jan 19.
Also, it saved the people of Pakistan from watching live the second act of “shock and awe” drama produced by pygmies who still fondly look forward to capturing any chance to preside over a congregation of giants.
ASAD SIDDIQUI
Lahore