November 3, 2007 (Part 1)

November 3, 2007 was important for two reasons.

First, General Pervez Musharraf declared emergency rule. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and eight other judges refused to endorse the emergency order, declaring it unconstitutional, resulting in Mr Chaudhry's dismissal.

In the two page statement, the Chief Justice asked all judges and civil servants not to take an oath under the PCO. However, as usual in Pakistani politics society, when the time comes to make personal gains and sell your allegiance, somebody always comes forward.

Supreme Court judge Abdul Hameed Dogar, a supporter of Gen Musharraf who was a member of the special tribunal appointed to investigate allegations of wrongdoing by Mr Chaudhry, has already taken an oath and is the new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar has declared the verdict by the seven judges against the emergency null and void.

Iftikhar Chaudhry, Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir Malik, some other judges I believe to be including Justice Bhagwandas, Justice Ramday, and Justice Javaid Iqbal, and Imran Khan are supposed to be under house arrest.

Attorney General Malik Muhammad Qayyum said that the Supreme Court endorsement to the new PCO was not needed.

In his address to the nation Saturday night Musharraf said that the first time in the history Pakistan completed the transition under a strategy and it was making headway. But, the vested interests were obstructing its path. How Pakistani politicians love this phrase!

Senior advocate Ahmad Raza Kasuri, who is in New York as a member of Pakistan delegation to the United Nations General Assembly, on Saturday welcomed the imposition of state of emergency, saying it was in the interest of stability of the country. I am surprised by neither the fact that Kasuri welcomes the emergency, nor the fact that these are the kind of people representing Pakistan at the UN.

Pentagon has said it would not change its support to Musharraf. No surprises here either. Americans have lost yet another opportunity... I earlier expressed what the western world needed to do to show solidarity with the Pakistani people. US, EU and Commonwealth countries must recall their diplomats immediately and press for the restoration of the media and judiciary rights. But of course, there is a reason why the people of poor and unstable countries all over the world love the westerners.