Dr Afridi and his 33 years
There can be differing yet legitimate points of view on the 33-year sentence of Dr Shakil Afridi. This paper is against it (more on that later) but it recognises that those who are in favour of it do have a point to make. But there is a particular dimension of the whole situation that needs to be dealt with first.
That pertains to how the state weighs in on, not the particulars of Dr Afridi’s case, but the May 2nd operation to begin with. In the aftermath, the prime minister, along with the president, called it a shared victory. That they were happy that the world’s most wanted man, and the symbol of international terror, had been taken out. The military, though it had shown some indignation at our sovereignty being violated (no mention, though, of the Arab and his family’s violation of our sovereignty) but had later, in a tacit sort of a manner, claimed that there was intelligence collaboration.
Claiming it as a victory and advocating Dr Afridi’s incarceration is not a legitimate point of view. The declared stance of the Jamaat-e-Islami, for instance, or the JUI(F), is legitimate: they were against the strike and in favour of, presumably, the sentencing. The stance of the government or the security establishment, however, is a case of doublethink.
What, in the doctor’s sentencing, is the message we are sending the world about how we view the outcome of the operation? We already have egg on our face with OBL’s mere presence in the country. By sending Dr Afridi to jail, we are actually taking a stance that squarely describes our position in the war on terror. For all we harp on about losing scores of lives in this war, for all our press releases about their 9/11 being our 24/7, we are emitting an unequivocal signal.
A word here, about the manner in which Dr Afridi was sentenced. He was tried under the colonial-era FCR, which is puzzling. Yes, the doctor is domiciled there but the alleged crime took place in Abbottabad, a settled area. That would be analogous to saying tribals driving around in smuggled cars in Lahore can do so because there is no Customs Act in Fata.
Even if the operation had taken place in Fata, a trial under the FCR, where the defendant cannot even have a lawyer, is definitely not putting our best foot forward on the international stage.
THERE IS NO LAWS IN PAKISTAN SINCE ITS CREATION.THE LAWS ARE ONLY FOR WEAKS AND NOT EFFECTIVE FOR BIG FISHES.AS IT IS GOING ON IN PAKISTAN.MOREOVER MIGHT IS RIGHT RULES THE WHOLE COUNTRY.THAT IS WHY NO JUSTICE NO EARLY SETTLEMENT AND GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES ARE EXPELLED FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE JOBS WITHOUT ANY PROPER JUSTIFICATION.AND NOW WE HAVE THE FATAL EXPERIENCE THAT EVEN THE SUPREME COURT OF PAKISTAN DECIDES,HOW THE CULPRITS ESCAPE AND DISHONOR THE RULINGS OF SUPERIOR APEX COURT.ONLY TO ATTACHMENT OF SO-CALLED DEMOCRACY.PAKISTAN IS RULED ONLY BY THE MIGHTY RULES MIGHT IS RIGHT.SO FAR WE HAVE LOST ONE OF OUR ARM.STILL WE DID NOT LEARN ANYTHING FROM THE HISTRY.RHIS WAS ZAB WHO DID NOT GIVE CHANCE TO AWAMI LEAGE TO GOVERN PAKISTAN AND SAME HISTRY IS BEING REVISED BY PPP.WHO WILL MAKE THIS NATION REALISED TO WAKE UP AND DO FOR PAKISTAN
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