The Asian Human Rights Commission salutes and congratulates the people of Pakistan for their resilient and determined struggle to oust the dictator, General (Ret.) Pervez Musharraf from the post of president. This completely non-violent struggle of various sections of society which included lawyers, judges, the ordinary folk, the media as well as the legislators is a clear example of the development of democracies on the basis of consensus. In the recent years there was clear consensus that the people did not want a military regime but instead a democratic government. Even the support that the military dictator received from the super powers did not deter the people of Pakistan from pursuing their desire to see the end of militarism. It is a sad reflection on some democracies in developed countries that they failed to support the people in their struggle for democracy and instead supported a military general. That notwithstanding, the people have been able to push back the military agenda.
General Musharraf’s game was to play the terrorism issue in a way to suppress the rights of his people. This indeed is the game that is played by many others throughout the world including in some neighbouring countries. Entire institutional structures of democracies are being destroyed under the pretext of fighting terrorism. It is even argued that the destruction of democracy and the enhancement of militarism is a pre-condition in this fight. There are also those who argue that militarism is more conducive to economic development than democracy. The people of Pakistan have the bitter experience of the experimentation on these matters which has destroyed their security and every decent aspect of their lives. They have fought and they have won. Thus, they have not only made history but also contributed to the contemporary discourse on these matters.
What is most unique in this experience is that the military general who tried to oust the chief justice, Iftekhar Choudry, is the one who was to be the loser at the end. It cannot be denied in any manner that it was the struggle for the independence of the judiciary and the rule of law that was the central theme in the struggle against Musharraf. That struggle is also connected to large numbers of disappearances that have been caused in the name of anti terrorism. Musharraf’s downfall is a damning condemnation of the strategy of the destruction of all human rights under the pretext of fighting terrorism. This same strategy permits the causing of disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture and the abuse of all the rights of human beings, all in the name of defeating terrorism.
The people’s historical victory on this occasion is only a beginning of a new discourse. Democracy must prove capable of resurrecting the basic institutions of stability which are the police, the prosecutors, the judiciary and the bureaucracy involved in all aspects of the civil service. This of course is a gigantic task. However, the nature of the people’s struggle in the recent years in Pakistan suggests that a large section of the population is well aware of the challenges ahead. For them these years of street movements were not just spent on protests but also on reflection. All those who have played a significant role in this struggle are aware that what are at stake are systemic issues. It is on these systemic issues that the intellectual and other energies of the people of Pakistan need now be directed towards.
For the neighbours in Asia, Pakistan should provide an example of how to deal with their own dictators. If anyone believes that dictators are invincible the people of Pakistan have proved convincingly that they are not. While saluting and congratulating the people of Pakistan we also urge the world’s solidarity in support of the people’s democratic movement in Pakistan and elsewhere.
This statement is endorsed by:
Lawyers Rights Watch Canada (LRWC)
