Verdict a turning point for Pakistan, say expats

CUTTING across political and provincial affiliations, leading members of the Pakistani expatriate community in Qatar have unanimously welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict reinstating Pakistan’s chief justice, who had been suspended since March 9 by President Pervez Musharraf.

A full court bench of the Pakistani Supreme Court yesterday termed the suspension as “illegal” and a 10-3 verdict dismissed charges of misconduct and abuse of power against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohamed Chaudhry.

Speaking to Gulf Times, jubilant local Pakistani community leaders said the court ruling would prove to be a turning point in the history of Pakistan.

M A Shahid, President of the board of Pakistan School and chairman of Pakistan Arts Society-Qatar, said the whole-hearted accord with the court’s decision.

“This is not only chief justice served to the accused [sic] justice, but also to the 160m people of Pakistan. This has historic repercussions for all political workers. It has instilled leaders outside the country to come back and bring political stability to the region,” he said.

Tahir M Chaudhry, president of the Pakistan Muslim Welfare League, said the decision “is a noticeable achievement for pro-democracy activists in the country and should warrant a change in the way people are governed. It is also high time for the exiled leaders to come back and lead the political process for the restoration of full-scale democracy.”

Qazi M Asghar, president of the Pakistan Youth Society and director of Bright Future Pakistani School, hailed the decision as a major turning point in the country’s history.

“The judicial branch of the government has shown resilience against an oligarch and it is high time the legislative and executive branches followed suit to ensure the supremacy of democracy. This ruling should also silence the critics of the Pakistani judicial set-up at home and abroad,” he said.

Feroz Africa, president of Pak Pashto Adabi Tolana, commended the judiciary for standing up to a dictator. “For the first time in our turbulent political history, a Supreme Court decision truly reflected the public’s wishes and this goes a long way in restoring public confidence in the judicial system,” he said.

Idrees Anwar, managing director of Al Khayarin Group, said: “This is the brightest day in the history of Pakistan. This is a first step in the direction to attain true freedom from anarchy. This should create a cascading effect and more institutions should join in for an immense awakening of the masses”.

Sher Ali, a long-time Doha resident, said: “People with a specific agenda have lost the battle and popular decision has prevailed this time, thus giving masses more political voice and power.”

Azim Khan, president of Pakistan People’s Party-Qatar, said the decision had “set a benchmark for generations to come and this will surely strengthen the political institutions and the Federation”. He added that this was the right time for exiled leaders to come back and lead the masses in an election year.

Raja Tariq, senior project manager of Fairgreen Int’l, said the decision taken by the “enlightened judges” “will further improve Pakistan’s image worldwide, as a country where the judiciary is independent and fairness and equality prevail.”