Pakistan's Judiciary

Justice - League (Over) Rules Pakistan

Pakistan’s Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry has made himself a hero in recent years, first by resisting General Pervaiz Musharraf (Pakistan’s dictator President) and then, by relentlessly pursuing a case against President Zardari. Pakistan’s agenda setting media group (the Jang Group) has created a perception among the people that the Lord is teaching country’s rulers how to respect the law.

So far so good, what people of Pakistan have forgot is the fact that Justice Chaudhry took oath on PCO - a law made by the dictator President that resulted in many honest judges retiring prematurely. Chaudhry at that time endorsed General Musharraf and then reportedly developed close contacts with the US lobby that used Chaudhry to rid Pakistan off President Musharraf, when the distrust grew between the US and the ruling general.

Many in the ruling party think Justice Chaudhry is acting at the behest of Pakistan Muslim League (N) - a political party from Punjab that has the reputation of having been used by the establishment to enforce its agenda. The League, had earlier moved the court to dislodge Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US over the charges of a contentious memo but the League is yet to take on controversial policy decisions of General Musharraf. So is the Chief Justice of Pakistan who has reopened the cases against President Zardari but not against any other politician who benefited from NRO.

Saner people have their own viewpoint. Everyone knows that deep-rooted corruption is difficult to be uprooted and then why we expect perfectly clean politicians to grow overnight where as we give a clean chit to Mr Chaudhry for his conduct in the past. No one is willing to prosecute and take on corrupt bureaucracy. Even none of the corruption cases of General Musharraf’s time were ever opened and no general has ever been tried. Another question repeatedly being asked is why Justice Chaudhry is has always tried to take on the head of the state  and cases against all other corrupt officials are not being pursued. This selective justice has resulted in bringing the business of the state to a grinding halt for the last six years. Is the Lord is fighting his own battle.

Many analyst view the sacking of the former Prime Minister Gilani  as revenge for the cases of Mr Arslan coming to light. Although, Justice Iftikahar Chaudhry has denied any wrong doing, his son is being accused of accepting favours worth US $ 3.6m from a business tycoon. Some believe that case of Arslan Iftikhar is an attempt to defame the judge but the judge could only say that he never knew the source of income of his son. This scandal could only trigger disqualification of the former Prime Minister Gilani.

Many celebrated the sacking of a corrupt Prime Minister and the lawyers showed their strength in processions to stand by Chaudhry by not allowing legal assistance to Malik Riaz, who had publicly boasted that money can buy him any thing, but people of Pakistan are at loss. They still cannot get justice without bribing court officials, they are happy that a corrupt government is in a fix but Pakistan today is genuinely destabilized.

There is little hope that eagerness and activism of judiciary is targeting corruption, it only hits the selected individuals for vested interest. The court has little to offer to the innocent people of Pakistan who have attached high hopes. Court was unable to check the Sugar Mill mafia and never asked the government to ensure that black marketing of sugar is stopped. The court never asked the government to ensure that petrol prices are regulated according to international market, yet innocent people hope that at least the President of Pakistan is brought to justice and the Chief Justice also thinks (innocently) like that!