Scandalising the courts

2
121

Politics of contempt notices

The only real surprise about this new contempt of court episode, really, is that it took its sweet time coming. Surely Nehal Hashmi, just like Talal Chaudhary and Daniyal Aziz, knew just what judicial protocols ‘scandalising the courts’ trigger, and exactly what consequences follow. And, especially after the Maryam and Nawaz Sharif’s posturing after Nehal’s verdict and notices to the other two, it is clear that PML-N was not just shooting itself in the foot by dragging the courts into its rallies. It was, rather, quite deliberately scandalising them to squeeze political mileage out of the resulting scandal, not least because general elections are around the corner.

There’s also that other sword hanging over their heads. Their NAB cases will come full circle sooner rather than later. And PML-N seems determined to fit any unfavourable decision into their spun up plot and conspiracy against the Sharifs. But has Nawaz – as he opens the Pandora’s Box of our past of military coups and judicial activism – factored in that his name will also spring up, in very compromising ways at times, as others too start talking? Also, his lament reeks of insincerity because at no time in his three stints, especially when he had outright majority, did he take much pains to reform the judiciary or hold dictators accountable. Nobody has forgotten, especially, how his government let Musharraf go.

There’s also much, sadly, for the honourable chief justice to consider. Nobody can deny that someone, anyone – even if it’ the CJ – taking note of people’s basic problems, and forcing the government machinery to do its job, is more than welcome. But His Lordship’s newfound liking for the public eye, on top of talking through his judgments, does not exactly leave the best after taste. If only he would look at his own back yard, he’d find need for reforms just like he’s ordered in government departments. The backlog goes back into decades and the judiciary, especially lower courts, is widely considered one of the country’s most corrupt institutions. Perhaps it is time all institutions look inwards and regain the people’s trust by reforming themselves.

 

2 COMMENTS

  1. Well timed and very appropriate Editorial. This confirms the fact that Nawaz and his minions are the thickheaded and dumb to consider Judiciary like themselves.
    By asking people to raise hands against the highest court of the country amounts to mutiny. All this corrupt family wants is to let rule of no law and order to prevail. Nawaz in his last public speech readout what was given to him by some enemy of State. We know who he is.
    Let us see if he and his daughter have learnt anything. Today in Peshawar this will be revealed. But he and his daughter are both incorrigible.

  2. What ever Nawaz Sharif and his cronies are doing is because they know fully well, there is a small minority of people and an over whelming majority of SHEEPLE in Pakistan’s electorate. The sheeple actually believe in the pack of lies they are been told in the jalsas. Your problem is not the thugs in politics, your real problem are the sheeple who elect them election after election. There is no place for sheeple in a democracy, it isn’t really meant for them. In Europe, the birth place of liberal democracy, sheeple were not given the right to vote for a very long time, this right was given after decades of universal free education that transformed sheeple in to people. Now you know why proper democracy works in the west, because there are hardly any sheeple who will vote for the thugs.

Comments are closed.