Some tolerance, please

June 22nd, 2012

Lawyers, of all people, should recognise basic concepts like ‘innocent until proven guilty’ and ‘every defendant has a right to legal counsel’. These concepts are the bedrock of their profession. The legal fraternity, however, it seems would prefer not to extend constitutional rights to those it disagrees with. That is the only conclusion one can draw from the decision of various bar associations across the country to ban Zahid Bukhari, counsel for tycoon Malik Riaz, as well as Aitzaz Ahsan, who represented former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, from their premises. Their thinking seems to be that Riaz, by accusing the chief justice’s son of accepting bribes from him, has ridiculed and questioned the integrity of the Supreme Court and so his lawyer must be tarred. Mr Ahsan has been treated in a similar manner, too, as his client was found guilty on charges of contempt of court.

As a contrast, consider that Eric Holder — before he became attorney general of the US — represented those accused of terrorism being held in Guantanamo Bay and that, too, pro bono. Holder was incensed that the US government was denying these men free and fair trials and so was willing to work without pay on their behalf. He considered their right to attorneys and a trial so sacrosanct that he was willing to be associated with men allegedly involved in waging war against the US. Yet, he has now risen to become the top law-enforcement official of his country.

Some would say that the legal community in Pakistan has shown a distinct lack of tolerance ever since it won its great victory and the chief justice along with other justices of the Supreme Court, who refused to accept General (retd) Pervez Musharraf’s PCO, were reinstated. First, there was the deplorable way Musharraf-loyalist Sher Afghan Niazi was treated. Then, who can forget the way lawyers showered the murderer of Salmaan Taseer with rose petals and praised Mumtaz Qadri’s lawyer. In the case of Mr Ahsan and Mr Bukhari, the lawyers should follow the lead of the man they claim to protect — the chief justice. When allegations were made against his son, he immediately took suo motu notice on the matter and recused himself from the case. The lawyers need to demonstrate the same tolerance.

Militancy and polio

June 22nd, 2012

Among the many casualties of the militancy that is plaguing the country, one of the least reported is the resurgence of polio. The 22nd case of polio this year was discovered on June 10, which also happened to be the ninth such case in Khyber Agency. There are many reasons why the government and the World Health Organisation have not been able to eradicate polio in Pakistan, with a general mistrust of vaccinations being prominent among them. But by far, the biggest cause is the propaganda campaign by militant groups to convince people in the tribal areas that polio vaccines are actually part of a Western plot.

Recently, the announcement by top pro-government warlord Hafiz Gul of North Waziristan, stated that as long as drone strikes are not stopped in the area, there will be a ban on administering polio jabs. Further, militants and people of Waziristan alike have vowed to continue boycotting the polio vaccination drives until the government electrifies the region. They have accused the government of siphoning off millions set aside for electrifying the region and want their demands met before polio vaccines can be administered again.

Pakistanis who should know better have also been responsible for giving the militants easy victories. Dr Shakil Afridi, in his quest to help the Americans find Osama bin Laden, would administer one dose of a Hepatitis vaccine in order to collect DNA samples but would never return to complete the vaccinations. Not only did he thus end up giving vaccinations that were completely ineffective, once his actions came to light, he handed the militants a great victory by seemingly offering them proof that vaccination campaigns were part of a Western plot. Ever since then, Western aid workers have found it even more difficult to gain the trust of locals and as a result, vaccination programmes have been badly affected. For the sake of our children, we need to make such public health issues our main priority.

Entertaining electricity

June 22nd, 2012

Patrons visiting the Cinepax in Rawalpindi — the only cinema complex in the twin cities — were not amused when they were made to turn back on June 16 due to the cinema experiencing a power crisis and its backup power arrangements also failing. While films are again being screened at the centre, the repeated power cuts create a host of problems. The power crisis has deprived people of the entertainment they yearn for during the holiday season when children and students are anxious to keep themselves occupied.

However, the problems run deeper than that. For many months, theatres in Lahore, including the giant Alhamra complex — the biggest public sector centre for music, dance, theatre and art in the Punjab capital — have been badly affected by the power crisis. Attendance at these theatres has fallen because the repeated power cuts have left the halls sweltering in heat, with people even fainting in some cases. This is no way to encourage the arts in the country. They are already in a poor state and the power cuts are pushing them back further.

Cinemas have only recently seen a revival in the country with the act of visiting halls to watch films only recently returning as a normal part of life. During the 1980s, it had almost completely vanished as a result of the policies implemented by the government of General Ziaul Haq. This time, it is not official policy but the lack of electricity, which has struck hard. Depriving people of entertainment is a matter to be taken seriously. We must also consider the huge revenue losses suffered by the cinemas and theatres. Will they be able to survive these? For many private owners, this question is up in the air.

It would be a tragedy if we lose what limited means of entertainment we have left in the country as a result of a crisis that simply needs better management. If things continue in this manner, we could see the gradual effort of bringing joy in the form of music and film back into people’s lives fading once more, as the screens and stage lights flicker off.