Posted by Raza Rumi
The [restricted] image above from Reuters shows Mr Aitzaz Ahsan offering prayers at Benazir Bhutto’s grave in Garhi Khuda Bux. Ironical that the same follower recently, albeit allegedly, termed his leader as corrupt. Of course, he denied it later in clear terms. This self contained editorial from the Daily Times spells out some of the dilemmas faced by our charismatic Ahsan:
The lawyers’ movement has rejected the constitutional package presented by the Pakistan People’s Party. If positions on both sides remain deterministic, we can now be sure that the movement will stay on a collision course with the current PPP government. Siding with the lawyers movement is the PMLN. It has already pulled out of the cabinet and might pull out of the coalition if it stays the current course of pressing for the restoration of judges upfront and without reference to any constitutional package. Given this perspective, we might be in for a spell of agitation politics.
However, while the lawyers movement has rejected the PPP’s position on how the judges restoration is to be achieved and the fate of President Pervez Musharraf, the most prominent leader of the movement, Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, is caught on the horns of a dilemma. He wants to continue affiliating with the PPP even as he is turning the lawyers movement against the party. His problem originates in his earlier decision to spurn the “deal” that the PPP leader Benazir Bhutto clinched with President Pervez Musharraf before her assassination, including her decision to contest the elections. He should have realised then that he couldn’t sail in two boats at the same time for long but he didn’t. That has made his position untenable by the day.
Mr Ahsan is now quoted by the New York Times as making “reckless” critical remarks about Ms Bhutto and Asif Zardari. But instead of owning up to them because they truly reflect his views about the PPP’s leadership and policies, he has chosen to deny the remarks and distance himself from the interview. Understandably, not many who have heard Mr Ahsan publicly or privately are prepared to accept his denial. The content of what he said is not very different from the views he has held since he began spearheading the lawyers movement and saw the chasm developing between his goal of re-establishing constitutionalism, his personal political ambitions and his party’s realpolitik.
The irony of all this is that, even as he is at pains to deny it, many of Mr Ahsan’s supporters are flaunting the NYT story as an example of his “conviction and commitment” to the cause of constitutionalism.
It is time therefore that Mr Ahsan should realise the logic of his own stand which squarely pits him against his own party. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mr Ahsan’s decision to plough a different furrow. He may even decide to form a new political party, one that is wedded to pushing Pakistan in the direction of constitutionalism. But by holding on to everything, he may be left holding nothing.
2 Comments
June 12, 2008 at 7:18 pm
This is known as “sheer opportunism”, Mr Ahsan the great secular democrat is now carrying the Right wing on his shoulders towards power. “Constitutionalism” doesn’t involve “Long marches”, these are Communist tactics. Constitutional struggle would have meant PML-N putting a resolution in the Parliament and accept the results.
I mean lawyers should look towards Mr Jinnah, who never called a long march against a colonial power! Who never boycotted an election, even though India was directly occupied. All lies
June 17, 2008 at 7:41 am
Long March Who Loses& Who Wins???
STARTING FROM 09 MARCH,2007 TILL 15JUNE,2008 THE JUDICIARY STRUGGLE AT LAST SHOWED ITS RESULTS IN ISLAMABAD IN THE FORM OF LONG MARCH.
Many things have been exposed with the anti-climax of this long march in islamabad.If i can summarize this a more than year long judiciary movemnet in simple words i would like to say that its a defeat of the right wing parties like jamat e islami,thereek e insaaf with apdm,ex-service men society,pml n,civil society and others and its the victory of the masses and the ppp with their stand on the judicairy movement.
I have analysed its different aspects and its now a eye-opener to all of us that this long march was just againts the ppp and its government which ultimately failed as pakistani masses damn care for the so called judiciary long march and they are keen just for their related issues like,price hikes,electricity crisis,fuel crisis,poverty,job cuts,health care facilities and others.
Now its clear that it was the agenda of the right wing parties to support this long march to shift the attention of the masses to a non-issue from the real masses issues.Now things have been exposed very clearly as even the right wing media criticise the ex-ch-jus for coming*speaking at the long march rallies.They took him critical in this behaviour.
Now we must tell the people that the last day pml n was in contact with ppp&they had signed the code of conduct that they will not prolong this long march and ultimately they will just go back after the speeches,but they were pretending as some one else did it,so ultimately it was the pml n whom gave a bad name to this judiciary long march and even they agreed to the restoration of ex judges with the present ones in the Finance Bill Resolution.
So what a pity again that this right wing media is not criticizing pml n and this showed their hegemony.So we have to blame the exposed parties and we must criticize them for their worst miseries and giving bad name to the judiciary&to some important lawyers whom were leading this movement and now the time has come that even ch-Aitzaz Ahsan should re-think as his allies have come against him openly and he should remember that this is the lesson of the history that facist&liberals cant go in one track.
Aitzaz should come openly and should expose this right wing parties and their worst miseries.