Violence against teachers

No matter what one feels about a teacher, pushing one is totally unacceptable. Sure I had teachers I wanted to hit, throw shoes at and push off cliffs. But I didn’t because that would just be heinous, despicable…

Today one of my students shoved me more than once. Actually he’s no longer my student. My class had seven bad eggs who were pulling the rest of the class down. At first, the school wasn’t too bothered until one day when I just lost it. I was ready to quit. When I gave detention, they pet the kids and told them to behave. When I insisted, they told me not to because it would make me unpopular. Like I’m there to make friends. When I issued pink cards, they would, again, give the kids a warning (pink cards are complaints that go on their permanent records). Once I insisted upon issuing the pink card and it was given to the kid who in turn went home and wept. He created this whole fuss about how I was targeting him. So his mother refused to sign it and sent it back. The result? He was free to do as he pleased again.

Actually this student is quite a conniving little fellow and his parents let him get away with murder. At the parent teacher meeting, I expressed my concern and told them that he had a behaviour problem. They refused to believe me. They kept implying that I was lying and kept defending him. “You’re the ONLY teacher that has a problem with him!” they declared. I was left stupefied. If my teachers had said something like that about me, my mother would have hung me upside down from a fan and then switched it on full blast. In fact, they were so clueless and delusional about their child that they kept telling me how all the other teachers loved him and how he was the best thing that could ever happen. They told me to adjust my behaviour and they implied that I deserved what I got. What really pissed me off was the fact that I had heard three other teachers complain to them in front of me. I have severe issues with parents like that and I’m very glad I don’t have to deal with them anymore.

So, at the beginning of this term, I kicked out 7 boys. I was more than happy to be rid of them. It’s one thing to have a bad student, but it’s quite another to have a bad person as a student. They’re still royal pains in the behind though. They make a huge effort to disrupt the class and take ages to leave when I walk in. But today just took the cake…

I walked into class. The sports teacher gave the kids permission forms for something or the other. I don’t really care. The offender- the one who pushed me- grabbed all the forms and started pretending to distribute them. In reality, he was causing a ruckus and deliberately stalling. His teacher, for reasons unknown to me, doesn’t care if they show up late, so they feel free to wander around at will. That’s why they deliberately cause havoc and make a huge show out of leaving. They take ages to pack their bags. The kid with the delusional parents always yells and makes one hell of a lot of noise. Today, when I complained about that, he lied with such a straight face that I was left amazed. And I completely blame his parents.

Anyway, the violent child who was pretending to distribute the papers, had to be told off. He absolutely refused to leave. I took his bag and was going to put it outside so that he wouldn’t make a big fuss about the bag. He often takes about two whole minutes to hoist it on his back. He saw me take the bag and he grabbed it. Knowing that I had a firm grip on it, he grabbed it and started shoving me. I managed to hold on to the bag and I put it outside. Once outside, he started shoving the door into me. He knew I was standing behind it since it is mostly glass. He could see me quite clearly. He repeatedly shoved the door into me. Then he left.

I was livid. I couldn’t believe that a student would ever resort to physically abusing the teacher. Never did I think it would happen to me and I truly hope it doesn’t happen to another teacher. The Principal was very understanding. She gave him a tight slap, which was really quite satisfying to watch. Then she suspended him for 2 days.

The people who know me are as livid as I am about this. In fact, a few have suggested that this punishment isn’t enough. I don’t know what to think anymore. Private schools are equally to blame for this terrible attitude. They cater to the parents and the result- not to the actual development of the child. I don’t think they educate in the true sense. Yes, they are a far better option than our local government schools, but that’s not enough. It’s not enough to get good grades. A good education should teach you respect for humanity and the environment. I feel damn lucky to have been part of UWC for I truly got a wonderful overall education there. We need schools like UWC here desperately. I aim to open one as soon as I can save enough money. It’s a long way off, but I am adamant about making it happen some day. I certainly don’t ever want to see my siblings’ kids in any school that doesn’t provide them with a comprehensive education. The O level system is ridiculous. It’s based on gimmicks and points. I have personally taught kids who can hardly speak English, yet they got A’s. The system has been cracked and the leaks are soon going to burst. Anyone with me?

With extreme prejudice?

On two consecutive days, 1st and 2nd February, the staff (security personnel as well as faculty members) of Punjab College, Muslim Town have tried to deny the rights of free speech and of free association of pro-democracy activists, and members of the Student Action Committee (SAC) Lahore – even going to the extent of brutal, un-restrained physical assault. In the face of this practical demonstration of the fascist attitudes nurtured in the so-called institutes of higher education that constitute the Punjab Group of Colleges, owned and run by the Nazim (Mayor) of Lahore, Mian Amir Mehmood, the activists have shown a remarkable degree of calm and fortitude, refusing to be provoked, and yet refusing to bow down to the dictates of the civilian collaborators of Army rule.

As already reported in some newspapers (e.g. Dawn), on Friday 1st February, Raheem-ul-Haque (adjunct faculty at Punjab University, former Project Manager at Techlogix) and Saeeda Diep (a veteran political, and not merely social, activist) were distributing flyers on the public side-lane in front of the two sections of the segregated Punjab College. The flyers, published by the Students Action Committee, laid out the basic demands of the Committee and also urged students to join hands with other sections of the public in a protest demonstration in Nasser Bagh on Saturday, the 2nd. The two activists were handing out flyers to all the students, boys and girls, consistent with their belief that information and debate are as much the right of women as of men. While Raheem was distributing some flyers outside the girls’ section of the college, he leaned over the chain at the exit and handed a few to some students standing there. He then continued distributing the pamphlets to other students as they left for home or arrived for class. It is important to note two things here: at no point did either Raheem or Diep trespass on the private property of the college, unless, of course, in his extraordinary legislative zeal, the President decides to declare into existence a new law against aerial trespassing, “Thou shalt not lean into, or otherwise violate the airspace of, another’s property”; not a single student had actually complained against the actions of the pro-democracy campaigners.

Soon thereafter, one of the security guards employed by the College told Raheem to stop handing out the flyers. Raheem defended his acts, saying that he was well within his rights to do as he pleased in a public space and that he was distributing flyers to the girls in the same way that he was distributing them to the boys. The guard slapped Raheem. Instead of hitting back, Raheem asked him why he’d hit him. He got two more punches for his trouble – this time the guard broke his spectacles. Again Raheem tried to reason with the guard, protesting that he was not doing anything wrong. He then walked over to consult with Diep. The guard followed, and the ensuing discussion quickly heated up with the guard pushing Diep and insulting both activists in abusive language. People gathered around them, which prevented the guard from following up his verbal threats with further physical aggression. Realizing that the situation could spiral out of control, some staff members from the College extricated the guard from the crowd.

Incensed and humiliated, the two activists decided to bring this action to the notice of the larger public. Some friends and one reporter arrived on the spot in short order. At this point, the group decided to report the matter to the police. At the nearby Muslim Town police station, which is also the office of the Superintendant Police Saddar Division, the police hummed and hawed for two hours before finally announcing that they needed a medico-legal report from the nearest government hospital. The physician at Jinnah Hospital diagnosed a perforated left ear drum and prescribed some antibiotics. Armed with the report, the group headed back to the police station, where they were informed that such an injury, not visible to the naked eye, was not serious enough to be the subject of their hallowed “First Investigation Report” (FIR)!

That evening, members of the Students Action Committee gathered outside Aitezaz Ahsan’s house to celebrate his release, prepared a press release and vowed to go back the following day to the same college to concretely demonstrate the strength of their resolve.

The next day, Hassan Rehman (FAST-NU graduate student) and Umayr Hassan (FAST-NU faculty member) accompanied Raheem-ul-Haque and Saeeda Diep to Punjab College. They arrived at 11.30 AM and started handing out the flyers urging students to attend the protest demonstration that would start in a few hours time. It seemed that they had proven their point and were about to disperse (in fact, Hassan Rehman had already left) when the Principal of the College arrived in his black Mercedes. Some of the security guards (there were at least ten of them in total) called Raheem to meet the Principal. Raheem and Diep – infuriated – argued with him that their guards had no right to tell them what to do on public property and that, in fact, they (the College) was illegally encroaching upon public property (the green belt between the service lane and the main road serves as a parking lot for the College). Raheem mentioned that he had taken several photographs of the encroachment. Another SAC member, Shehryar (software engineer by profession) arrived while the argument was going on.

At some point, as he leaned either to say or after having said something to the Principal, the Principal grabbed Shehryar by his collar and then told the guards to thrash him. All of the guards fell upon Shehryar, punching, slapping, and then picking him up to be taken inside the College premises. Diep and Raheem went to save Shehryar and were similarly assaulted. Diep was dragged along with Shehryar while Raheem and Umayr were slapped and pushed into the premises through another gate.

Inside their offices, the four were forced to sit on the sofa and not allowed to go out. Raheem, infuriated, railed against the teachers present, who either remained silent spectators or told the activists to shut up or taunted their professionalism or called them Indian agents/NGO people. They claimed they were puncturing car tires and instigating students inside the campus. A female teacher suggested that Diep (being a female) could accompany her elsewhere – Diep angrily refused. Shehryar struggled against the goon squad and was beaten again. The other three tried to protect him as Raheem was punched and his nose started bleeding profusely. Diep tried calling Usman Gill (SAC activist and recent graduate from FAST-NU) and while she was talking to him, the guards tried to confiscate her cell phone – Diep refused but could not complete the call. This and more went on for more than an hour, with the College personnel alternating between beating up the activists and apologizing to them. There were twenty or thirty of them in all, some staff, some faculty and some who looked like hired thugs in plain clothes, who attacked and tormented the trapped pro-democracy campaigners.

Suddenly, Shehryar fell on all fours, gasping and indicating that he had difficulty breathing. It was a clever hoax, but no one including friends realised it then and started to panic. They clamoured for an ambulance to be called, warning the administration of the trouble they would bring upon themselves were one of them to die on the premises. As Shehryar lay limp on the floor, Umayr went outside to tell someone to call an ambulance. Usman Gill was outside and Umayr shouted to him telling him to call the ambulance. As he came nearer to the College boundary wall, someone behind Umayr told the guards outside to bring Usman inside. A guard grabbed Usman by the collar and tried to push him toward the gate – Usman resisted and was released just outside the gate as the police had arrived by that time. Usman, Umayr, Raheem and Diep’s driver carried Sheryar outside and laid him in Umayr’s car as Shehryar and Diep were driven away to safety.

The rest of the SAC members waited for the senior police officer (already aware of the incident the previous day) to arrive while the activist and College administration argued the case with the officer present. In particular, the activists demanded that the College return Shehryar’s cell phone and Raheem’s camera (used to photograph the College façade as well as the encroachment – hence the reason the guards to grab it from Raheem’s car, as witnessed by Umayr’s driver. The camera cost approx. $1000.) When the senior police officer arrived, the same argument persisted: the students demanded the retrieval of their property while the college personnel complained that the SAC members had been interfering inside their College. They now also claimed that the activists had damaged their property – a door glass was broken when the guards were scuffling inside with Shehryar. It was not clear who broke it. All parties now went inside the offices and the officer then had a word in private with the Principal. Outside, Umayr narrated their tale to a plainclothes Special Branch (police intelligence) representative. Outside, again, the officer had managed to recover the cell phone and asked the administrators to look for the missing camera asked the activists to come to the police station to lodge a complaint while his junior stayed back to look for the camera. Raheem and Usman went with him in the police mobile car.

By this time, Diep had managed to inform the SAC members attending the big rally at Nasser Bagh. However, once the activists had managed to free themselves, they sent messages to the SAC members to attend the rally which was the more important event, and to come over to the Muslim Town police station afterwards.

Shehryar and Raheem got medical treatment. Shehryar had a broken finger and Raheem had a bloody nose swollen as after a boxing match.

Around 20 – 25 SAC members had gathered at the Muslim Town police station by 4:30 PM. The SP allowed some SAC members to enter his office to take part in the discussion as the SAC lawyers presented their case and pressed for an FIR to be lodged against the staff of Punjab College. After much prevarication, during which he must have realised that SAC had a solid case and that he would have to file a report, he invited the group to go over to the College with him to talk to the College administration. Here a comic twist presented itself: the SP never showed up. He climbed into his official brand new 2.4D Toyota Hilux and disappeared. While the SAC members waited outside the College, they started raising slogans against the military dictatorship, against the Nazim and against oppression. About the same time, students started leaving for home and were quite surprised to encounter the SAC group in full cry. Some of them stopped to ask what had happened – they either knew nothing at all, or had been fed lies by the administration to the effect that the people beaten up earlier that day had been teasing female students. The SAC members disabused them of this fiction and even handed them their new flyers.

Eventually a DSP arrived and started negotiations with the SAC lawyers. At first, it seemed that he merely wanted SAC to leave the College and move to a less “disturbing” location, such as the police station. But the SAC members flatly refused and demanded that some resolution be arrived at, otherwise they were willing to stake out the premises for as long as it took. Eventually, the DSP asked that Diep and Raheem tell him exactly what happened. At this point, Diep started narrating how they were dragged into the premises and beaten by College personnel. As she was showing him the path, the College personnel got infuriated. Banking on the fact that they were employed by Mian Amir Mehmood, they took an aggressive attitude towards the DSP and virtually ordered him off the premises, daring him to challenge their authority. Humbled and humiliated,, the officer left the premises. Some SAC members were enraged at this concrete proof of the adage “he who has the stick, has the buffalo”. After a brief verbal altercation with the College personnel, other SAC members intervened and defused the situation. At this point, the SAC and the lawyers conferred and it was decided that while the lawyers negotiated with the police, the SAC members would head to the Lahore Press Club.

At the Press Club, the Students Action Committee staged a small demonstration, prepared a new press release, and informed various media channels (newspapers and television) of the events of the day.

The SAC held a protest demonstration at the Press Club in support of their injured colleagues on Sunday, 3rd February.

(Written by Amanullah Kariapper , based on narratives by Raheem, Diep and Umayr)

The proof just keeps pouring in!

I received these attachments in an email. These are scanned copies of the documents Musharraf circulated in Brussels. Enough said.
Letter to ABA
Profile of former chief justice
Pakistan Electoral Process

This is the Chief Justice’s reply:

AN OPEN LETTER TO:

His Excellency
The President of the European Parliament,
Brussels.

His Excellency
The President of France,
Paris.

His Excellency
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom,
London.

Her Excellency
Ms. Condaleeza Rice,
Secretary of State,
United States of America,
Washington D.C.

Professor Klaus Schwab,
World Economic Forum,
Geneva.

All through their respective Ambassodors, High Commissioners and representatives.

Excellency,

I am the Chief Justice of Pakistan presently detained in my residence since November 3, 2007 pursuant to some verbal, and unspecified, order passed by General Musharraf.
I have found it necessary to write to you, and others, because during his recent visits to Brussels, Paris, Davos and London General Musharraf has slandered me, and my colleagues, with impunity in press conferences and other addresses and meetings. In addition he has widely distributed, among those whom he has met, a slanderous document (hereinafter the Document) entitled: “PROFILE OF THE FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE OF PAKISTAN”. I might have let this go unresponded but the Document, unfortunately, is such an outrage that, with respect, it is surprising that a person claiming to be head of state should fall to such depths as to circulate such calumny against the Chief Justice of his own country.
In view of these circumstances I have no option but to join issue with General Musharraf and to put the record straight. Since he has voiced his views on several public occasions so as to reach out to the public at large, I also am constrained to address your excellencies in an Open Letter to rebut the allegations against me.
At the outset you may be wondering why I have used the words “claiming to be the head of state”. That is quite deliberate. General Musharraf’s constitutional term ended on November 15, 2007. His claim to a further term thereafter is the subject of active controversy before the Supreme Court of Pakistan. It was while this claim was under adjudication before a Bench of eleven learned judges of the Supreme Court that the General arrested a majority of those judges in addition to me on November 3, 2007. He thus himself subverted the judicial process which remains frozen at that point. Besides arresting the Chief Justice and judges (can there have been a greater outrage?) he also purported to suspend the Constitution and to purge the entire judiciary (even the High Courts) of all independent judges. Now only his hand-picked and compliant judges remain willing to “validate” whatever he demands. And all this is also contrary to an express and earlier order passed by the Supreme Court on November 3, 2007.
Meantime I and my colleagues remain in illegal detention. With me are also detained my wife and three of my young children, all school-going and one a special child. Such are the conditions of our detention that we cannot even step out on to the lawn for the winter sun because that space is occupied by police pickets. Barbed wire barricades surround the residence and all phone lines are cut. Even the water connection to my residence has been periodically turned off. I am being persuaded to resign and to forego my office, which is what I am not prepared to do.
I request you to seek first hand information of the barricades and of my detention, as that of my children, from your Ambassador/High Commissioner/representative in Pakistan. You will get a report of such circumstances as have never prevailed even in medieval times. And these are conditions put in place, in the twenty-first century, by a Government that you support.
Needless to say that the Constitution of Pakistan contains no provision for its suspension, and certainly not by the Chief of Army Staff. Nor can it be amended except in accordance with Articles 238 and 239 which is by Parliament and not an executive or military order. As such all actions taken by General Musharraf on and after November 3 are illegal and ultra vires the Constitution. That is why it is no illusion when I describe myself as the Chief Justice even though I am physically and forcibly incapacitated by the state apparatus under the command of the General. I am confident that as a consequence of the brave and unrelenting struggle continued by the lawyers and the civil society, the Constitution will prevail.
However, in the meantime, General Musharraf has launched upon a vigourous initiative to defame and slander me. Failing to obtain my willing abdication he has become desperate. The eight-page Document is the latest in this feverish drive.
Before I take up the Document itself let me recall that the General first ousted me from the Supreme Court on March 9 last year while filing an indictment (in the form of a Reference under Article 209 of the Constitution) against me. According to the General the Reference had been prepared after a thorough investigation and comprehensively contained all the charges against me. I had challenged that Reference and my ouster before the Supreme Court. On July 20 a thirteen member Bench unanimously struck down the action of the General as illegal and unconstitutional. I was honourably reinstated.
The Reference was thus wholly shattered and all the charges contained therein trashed. These cannot now be regurgitated except in contempt of the Supreme Court. Any way, since the Document has been circulated by no less a person than him I am constrained to submit the following for your kind consideration in rebuttal thereof:
The Document is divided into several heads but the allegations contained in it can essentially be divided into two categories: those allegations that were contained in the Reference and those that were not.
Quite obviously, those that are a repeat from the Reference hold no water as these have already been held by the Supreme Court to not be worth the ink they were written in. In fact, the Supreme Court found that the evidence submitted against me by the Government was so obviously fabricated and incorrect, that the bench took the unprecedented step of fining the Government Rs. 100,000 (a relatively small amount in dollar terms, but an unheard of sum with respect to Court Sanction in Pakistan) for filing clearly false and malicious documents, as well as revoking the license to practice of the Advocate on Record for filing false documents. Indeed, faced with the prospect of having filed clearly falsified documents against me, the Government’s attorneys, including the Attorney General, took a most dishonorable but telling approach. Each one, in turn, stood before the Supreme Court and disowned the Government’s Reference, and stated they had not reviewed the evidence against me before filing it with Court. They then filed a formal request to the Court to withdraw the purported evidence, and tendered an unconditional apology for filing such a scandalous and false documents. So baseless and egregious were the claims made by General Musharraf that on July 20th, 2007, the full Supreme Court for the first time in Pakistan’s history, ruled unanimously against a sitting military ruler and reinstated me honorably to my post.
Despite having faced these charges in open court, must I now be slandered with those same charges by General Musharraf in world capitals, while I remain a prisoner and unable to speak in my defense?

There are, of course, a second set of charges. These were not contained in the Reference and are now being bandied around by the General at every opportunity.
I forcefully and vigorously deny every single one of them. The truth of these “new” allegations can be judged from the fact that they all ostensibly date to the period before the reference was filed against me last March, yet none of them was listed in the already bogus charge sheet.
If there were any truth to these manufactured charges, the Government should have included them in the reference against me. God knows they threw in everything including the kitchen sink into that scurrilous 450 page document, only to have it thrown out by the entire Supreme Court after a 3 month open trial.
The charges against me are so transparently baseless that General Musharraf’s regime has banned the discussion of my situation and the charges in the broadcast media. This is because the ridiculous and flimsy nature of the charges is self-evident whenever an opportunity is provided to actually refute them.
Instead, the General only likes to recite his libel list from a rostrum or in gathering where there is no opportunity for anyone to respond. Incidentally, the General maligns me in the worst possible way at every opportunity. That is the basis for the Document he has distributed. But he has not just deposed me from the Judiciary. He has also fired more than half of the Superior Judiciary of Pakistan – nearly 50 judges in all — together with me. They have also been arrested and detained.
What are the charges against them? Why should they be fired and arrested if I am the corrupt judge? Moreover even my attorneys Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir Malik, Tariq Mahmood and Ali Ahmed Kurd were also arrested on November 3. Malik alone has been released but only because both his kidneys collapsed as a result of prison torture
Finally, as to the Document, it also contains some further allegations described as “Post-Reference Conduct” that is attributed to me under various heads. This would mean only those allegedly ‘illegal’ actions claimed to have been taken by me after March 9, 2007. These are under the heads given below and replied to as under:
1. “Participation in SJC (Supreme Judicial Council) Proceedings”:
(a) Retaining ‘political lawyers’: Aitzaz Ahsan and Zammurrad Khan:
It is alleged that I gave a political colour to my defence by engaging political lawyers Aitzaz Ahsan and Zamurrad Khan both Pakistan Peoples’ Party Members of the National Assembly. The answer is simple.
I sought to engage the best legal team in the country. Mr. Ahsan is of course an MNA (MP), but he is also the top lawyer in Pakistan. For that reference may be made simply to the ranking of Chambers and Partners Global. Such is his respect in Pakistan’s legal landscape that he was elected President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan by one of the widest margins in the Association’s history.
All high profile personalities have placed their trust in his talents. He has thus been the attorney for Prime Ministers Bhutto and Sharif, (even though he was an opponent of the latter) Presidential candidate (against Musharraf) Justice Wajihuddin, sports star and politician Imran Khan, former Speakers, Ministers, Governors, victims of political vendetta, and also the internationally acclaimed gang-rape victim Mukhtar Mai, to mention only a few.
Equally important, Barrister Ahsan is a man of integrity who is known to withstand all pressures and enticements. That is a crucial factor in enaging an attorney when one’s prosecutor is the sitting military ruler, with enourmous monetary and coercive resources at his disposal.
Mr. Zamurrad Khan is also a recognized professional lawyer, a former Secretary of the District Bar Rawalpindi, and was retained by Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan to assist him in the case. Mr. Khan has been a leading light of the Lawyers’ Movement for the restoration of the deposed judiciary and has bravely faced all threats and vilification.
Finally, surely I am entitled to my choice of lawyers and not that of the General.

(b) “Riding in Mr. Zafarullah Jamali (former Prime Minister)’s car”:
How much the Document tries to deceive is apparent from the allegation that I willingly rode in Mr. Jamali’s car for the first hearing of the case against me on March 13 (as if that alone is an offence). Actually the Government should have been ashamed of itself for creating the circumstances that forced me to take that ride.
Having been stripped of official transport on the 9th March (my vehicles were removed from my house by the use of fork lifters), I decided to walk the one-mile to the Supreme Court. Along the way I was molested and manhandled, my hair was pulled and neck craned in the full blaze of the media, by a posse of policemen under the supervision of the Inspector General of Police. (A judicial inquiry, while I was still deposed, established this fact). In order to escape the physical assault I took refuge with Mr. Jamali and went the rest of the journey on his car. Instead of taking action against the police officials for manhandling the Chief Justice it is complained that I was on the wrong!
(c) “Creating a political atmosphere”:
Never did I instigate or invite any “political atmosphere”. I never addressed the press or any political rally. I kept my lips sealed even under extreme provocation from the General and his ministers who were reviling me on a daily basis. I maintained a strict judicial silence. I petitioned the Supreme Court and won. That was my vindication.
2. “Country wide touring and Politicising the Issue”:
The Constitution guarantees to all citizens free movement throughout Pakistan. How can this then be a complaint?
By orders dated March 9 and 15 (both of which were found to be without lawful authority by the Court) I had been sent of “forced leave”. I could neither perform any judicial or administrative functions as the Chief Justice of Pakistan. I was prevented not only from sitting in court but also from access to my own chamber by the force of arms under orders of the General. (All my papers were removed, even private documents).
The only function as ‘a judge on forced leave’ that I could perform was to address and deliver lectures to various Bar Associations. I accepted their invitations. They are peppered all over Pakistan. I had to drive to these towns as all these are not linked by air. On the way the people of Pakistan did, indeed, turn out in their millions, often waiting from dawn to dusk or from dusk to dawn, to greet me. But I never addressed them even when they insisted that I do. I never spoke to the press. I sat quietly in my vehicle without uttering a word. All this is on the record as most journeys were covered by the media live and throughout.
I spoke only to deliver lectures on professional and constitutional issues to the Bar Associations. Transcripts of every single one of my addresses are available. Every single word uttered by me in those addresses conforms to the stature, conduct and non-political nature of the office of the Chief Justice. There was no politics in these whatsoever. I did not even mention my present status or the controversy or the proceedings before the Council or the Court, not even the Reference. Not even once.
All the persons named in the Document under this head are lawyers and were members of the reception committees in various towns and Bar Associations.
3. Political Leaders Calling on CJP residence:
It is alleged that I received political leaders while I was deposed. It is on the record of the Supreme Judicial Council itself that I was detained after being deposed on March 9. The only persons allowed to meet me were those cleared by the Government. One was a senior political leader. None else was allowed to see me, initially not even my lawyers. How can I be blamed for whomsoever comes to my residence?
Had I wanted to politicize the issue I would have gone to the Press or invited the media. I did not. I had recourse to the judicial process for my reinstatement and won. The General lost miserably in a fair and straight contest. That is my only fault.
4. “Conclusion”:
Hence the conclusion drawn by the General that charges had been proved against me ‘beyond doubt’ is absolutely contrary to the facts and wide off the mark. It is a self-serving justification of the eminently illegal action of firing and arresting judges of superior courts under the garb of an Emergency (read Martial Law) when the Constitution was ‘suspended’ and then ‘restored’ later with drastic and illegal ‘amendments’ grafted into it.
The Constitution cannot be amended except by the two Houses of Parliament and by a two-thirds majority in each House. That is the letter of the law. How can one man presume or arrogate to himself that power?
Unfortunately the General is grievously economical with the truth (I refrain from using the word ‘lies’) when he says that the charges against me were ‘investigated and verified beyond doubt’. As explained above, these had in fact been rubbished by the Full Court Bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan against which judgment the government filed no application for review.

What the General has done has serious implications for Pakistan and the world. In squashing the judiciary for his own personal advantage and nothing else he has usurped the space of civil and civilized society. If civilized norms of justice will not be allowed to operate then that space will, inevitably, be occupied by those who believe in more brutal and instant justice: the extremists in the wings. Those are the very elements the world seems to be pitted against. Those are the very elements the actions of the General are making way for.
Some western governments are emphasizing the unfolding of the democratic process in Pakistan. That is welcome, if it will be fair. But, and in any case, can there be democracy if there is no independent judiciary?
Remember, independent judges and judicial processes preceded full franchise by several hundred years. Moreover, which judge in Pakistan today can be independent who has before his eyes the fate and example of his own Chief Justice: detained for three months along with his young children. What is the children’s crime, after all?
There can be no democracy without an independent judiciary, and there can be no independent judge in Pakistan until the action of November 3 is reversed. Whatever the will of some desperate men the struggle of the valiant lawyers and civil society of Pakistan will bear fruit. They are not giving up.
Let me also assure you that I would not have written this letter without the General’s unbecoming onslaught. That has compelled me to clarify although, as my past will testify, I am not given into entering into public, even private, disputes. But the allegations against me have been so wild, so wrong and so contrary to judicial record, that I have been left with no option but to put the record straight. After all, a prisoner must also have his say. And if the General’s hand-picked judges, some living next door to my prison home, have not had the courage to invoke the power of ‘habeas corpus’ these last three months, what other option do I have? Many leaders of the world and the media may choose to brush the situation under the carpet out of love of the General. But that will not be.
Nevertheless, let me also reassure you that I continue in my resolve not to preside any Bench which will be seized of matters pertaining to the personal interests of General Musharraf after the restoration of the Constitution and the judges, which, God willing, will be soon.
Finally, I leave you with the question: Is there a precedent in history, all history, of 60 judges, including three Chief Justices (of the Supreme Court and two of Pakistan’s four High Courts), being dismissed, arrested and detained at the whim of one man? I have failed to discover any such even in medieval times under any emperor, king, or sultan, or even when a dictator has had full military sway over any country in more recent times. But this incredible outrage has happened in the 21st century at the hands of an extremist General out on a ‘charm offensive’ of western capitals and one whom the west supports.
I am grateful for your attention. I have no other purpose than to clear my name and to save the country (and perhaps others as well) from the calamity that stares us in the face. We can still rescue it from all kinds of extremism: praetorian and dogmatic. After all, the edifice of an independent judicial system alone stands on the middle ground between these two extremes. If the edifice is destroyed by the one, the ground may be taken over by the other. That is what is happening in Pakistan. Practitioners of rough and brutal justice will be welcomed in spaces from where the practitioners of more refined norms of justice and balance have been made to abdicate.
I have enormous faith that the Constitution and justice will soon prevail.
Yours truly,

Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry,
Chief Justice of Pakistan,
Presently:
imprisoned in the Chief Justice’s House,
Islamabad.

So, what do we do?

At the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan’s convention in LUMS on Tuesday (22/1/08), Talat Hussain, from Aaj TV, concluded that the energetic, and unabashedly embarrassing Lahori audience, had contradicted his belief that emotions and rationality are completely separate from one another. The overwhelming display of emotion that was flagrantly displayed by the audience was grounded in a rational thought process. People were unwilling to hold in what they felt because most have reached a point where they really want to see some change. Instead, nothing seems to be happening. The judiciary has not been restored, elections will probably be postponed again, and Musharraf is still clinging to power. The country is facing a wheat and flour crisis. People line up for hours just to buy a staple commodity that should be easily available, especially since we grow it! The electricity and gas supply is sporadic at best and the country has never seen as much violence as we were seeing today. Terrorists are loose and seem to be free to wreak havoc. Musharraf’s handpicked caretaker government refuses to accept any responsibility and doesn’t seem to be doing enough. People have had enough.

Just about everyone in this country would like to see Musharraf leave. Don’t believe me? Look up the numbers on his popularity ratings. People do want free and fair elections, but they are not at all possible without an independent judiciary. The elections will almost certainly be rigged in favour of the King’s party- the notorious mafia called the qatil league- unless the PML-N strikes a deal with Musharraf similar to the power sharing one that was planned with BB, in which case they will be rigged in favour of PML-N. Either way, they will be rigged, and Musharraf will probably rig an inflated percentage for the religious parties, like he did in the last “elections”, just to show that Pakistani society is under threat. He will try to prove himself to be invincible now more than ever, and by doing so, he may end up tearing apart the federation. And the biggest problem is that even if we do have free and elections, what are our options? And are they good enough? Are they worth the change and upheaval they will bring? Can we trust the very parties that looted and plundered the country in the 90s? Can we trust parties that are now saying that they are willing to work with an illegal dictator? And, most importantly, what on Earth can we do?

These were some of the questions that were on people’s minds at the CCP convention. The panel included representatives of Tehreek-e-Insaaf (Imran Khan’s party), PML-N, and PPP. Hameed Khan and Pervez Hassan were also present. Diep and Asim Sajjad (of UWC fame) were part of the panel. The turnout was huge. However, because of the camera crew, people were not able to come and sit all over the floors, and many stood outside the door peering in. Even my boss showed up late; he was left standing and being pushed around until he got frustrated and left. It was wonderful to be in a place where there were young people and not just lawyers and the same old ancient activists. (No offence ladies, but you guys have been at this an awfully long time. Some of you are grandmothers!) For me, personally, it was great to see LUMS students in a regular crowd. They tend to live in a bubble and protest only on campus. More than anything else, it was great to see a diverse crowd.

The convention started with Hamid Zaman reading out the list of demands. They were the usual ones regarding Musharraf’s resignations, the restoration of the constitution and judiciary etc. Then Talat Hussain started his discussion and Pervez Hassan was the first to speak on the current judiciary crisis. What was interesting for me the response of the party representatives.

TI: We are great… Musharraf must go… judiciary should be restored… we will never work with a dictator…. we have boycotted this sham election…

PML: We are great…. Musharraf must go… judiciary should be restored… we must participate in the elections…. Too much violence… country needs to be saved….

PPP: We are great…. Musharraf must go… judiciary should be restored… we must participate in the elections…. Too much violence… country needs to be saved…. BB was killed….

No one stated the obvious: what do we do? And when asked, no one had an answer that could satisfy. In fact, people felt that the political parties were not acting ethically and working towards the removal of Musharraf by courting him. Hameed Khan made an excellent point, which was that by not joining in the citizens’ and lawyers’ protests, the political parties had stood idly by and didn’t supported the masses. He also stated that if they had joined in, Musharraf would have left by now. When the PPP representative said that Aitzaz Ahsan was leading the lawyers’ movement, no one really bought this lofty excuse. So what if some of the participants are affiliated with political parties? Where are the civilian supporters and why don’t the parties join in the protests in large numbers. The PML-N candidate was grilled about the current talks being held between Shahbaz Sharif and Musharraf, and the PPP candidate was reminded that their party did the same. What I wanted to ask the PPP candidate was why they were not supporting and promoting their most prominent candidate: Aitzan Ahsan, who they had used as a example. Why aren’t demanding that he be freed? Why are so few of them present when there is a rally outside his house? And why haven’t they set up a hunger strike camp or something outside his house. Why aren’t they raising a hue and cry over this? Frankly, in my opinion, he is he best candidate for Prime Minister, and if he were to run, I would campaign for him tirelessly.

Anyway, back to what do we do? Diep testified that no political party in the country was truly democratic. In her opinion they are not at all democratic. How can one work with these parties then? The crowd, meanwhile, was getting more and more restless and rowdy. People were hoarding the mike and making all sorts of elaborate statement instead of asking questions. What amused me the most was people’s long-winded and entirely narcissistic introduction of themselves. We had to shout: “ask the question!” on more than one occasion. The President of the Pakistan Medical Association was the most painful audience member because he absolutely refused to stop talking and ask a question, despite the fact that he was being reminded that we were running out of time. He said that he had gotten the mike after great difficulty and needed a few minutes to speak his mind. I was the one who let out the loud snort when he didn’t stop and asked him if he wanted me to vote for him. I just couldn’t resist. But basically, he just didn’t ask a question and Talat had to cut him off. One man got up and started reading a poem he had just written. A few of the Punjab University students got up and started shouting “Go Musharraf go!” The audience joined in because the audience refused to shut up. Refused. No matter what Talat said, people kept shouting and booing the political representatives, and contradicted what they were saying. Some people didn’t wait for the mike and just said what they wanted to. It was terribly embarrassing, yet, in a twisted way, fun.

Despite the atmosphere, many pertinent questions were asked. What people really wanted to know was what the political parties would do. Many reminded the PPP and PML-N candidates that their treatment of the judiciary- and media- left much to be desired. Their tenures in office didn’t achieve much. When the PPP candidate was asked why her party didn’t amend certain laws, her excuse was that they didn’t have a 2/3 majority in parliament. The PML-N candidate also came up with similar excuses when asked about the judicial scandal during their time, when people felt that unfair promotions were being given. And the very, very sorry fact of the matter is that they are not our best choice, but they are, unfortunately, our only choice.

So, what do we do? We fight. We support the right people, like Aitzaz Ahsan, as well as the ordinary citizens who want to run for election. They are our best bet because the political parties are proliferated with feudals, and the army is, at the moment, the only other option. We need to continue with our non-violent protests, despite the fact that they haven’t achieved much, because we have to make our voice heard. We need the media to cover our dissent so that people the world over know how desperately we need Musharraf removed. His support from the West certainly isn’t helping, and the blind and irrational belief that he is the best bet for Pakistan at the moment is delusional at best. He has gone to Europe to salvage his decreasing popularity over there. But he has, as usual, put his foot in his mouth and shown his true colours. He has now stated that Pakistan isn’t as evolved as Europe and isn’t ready for a transition into democracy. That really insulted me. When your own president declares to the world that you are indeed the third world citizen you are treated as, then he is not your leader anymore. He is doing you the biggest disservice. He cannot be trusted to represent you in any way, shape, or form.

Not giving up should be our most important priority. If we do, then we are injuring our nation. I know it’s hard not to get disheartened. I know how emotion and frustrating it can be. I too sometimes think that the best thing to do would be to just leave. But, I also know that this is my only home. I love this country, and especially my incestuous city, despite all its faults. No matter where I go, this is the one place I return to. This is one place where I belong. This is the one place I cannot be judged by the colour of my skin or my religion. I am not a third class citizen here. I belong. I am Pakistan.

So who wants more proof?

It is my firm belief that if a doctor were to examine our dear dictator right now, he’d be found to be suffering from (among other things) extreme dementia. Don’t believe me? Let him speak for himself:

*I am not at all a politician. I don’t think I’m cut out for politics. I am certainly not going to stand for election.

*Have I done anything constitutionally illegal? Yes, I did it on November 3. But did I do it before? Not once

*Remember that mindsets can not be changed through force and coercion. No idea can ever be forcibly thrust upon any one.

*Who is trying to derail the political and democratic process? Am I? Or is it some elements in the Supreme Court — the Chief Justice and his coterie — and now some elements in the political field?

*There is nothing wrong with intellectual differences flowing from freedom of thought as long as such differences remain confined to intellectual debates.

*Did I go mad..? Or suddenly, my personality changed? Am I Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde? (This one’s my favourite)

*They will suffer but they know how to survive. The people here are very hardy.

*Please give us time. Please do not accept the same level of civil liberties and human rights that you earned over centuries. We are also learning. Please give us time.

*After 11 September we joined the international coalition against terrorism and I am delighted that the majority of Pakistani people supported this decision.

*First we have to rid ourselves of hatred, of religious intolerance. We have to rebuild and realise that a mind cannot be opened by oppression…

*You cannot change hearts and minds through force. (Says the dictator)

*I appeal to my Pakistan to rise. To banish intolerance and hatred from ourselves and establish a climate of equality and brotherhood.

*Let us not be despondent. I am an optimist. I have faith in the destiny of this nation.

*We will have to take important and painful decisions.

*Chaos is being created.

*The nation is a victim of uncertainty.

*The three pillars of state – judiciary, executive and legislative – all need to work in harmony.

*We want democracy to come to Pakistan…We want sustainable democracy that takes root. I mean every word of it.

*Am I trying to usurp power, or am I trying to bring democracy to Pakistan, that is the question…You have to believe me, and take me on my word, I want to bring democracy.

*I am going to relax and play tennis and golf. (Oh dear…)

*Unfortunately, we have been up against our own people … They had strayed from the right path and become susceptible to terrorism.

*Most of the people in fact were against my writing this book at this moment, but like a good military leader (!!!), I took the decision against the major part of their advice.

*I have confronted death and defied it several times in the past because destiny and fate have always smiled on me. (Lets add delusions of grandeur to the list of ailments)

*Before I reached class 10, at the age of 15, I had been an above-average student, usually among the first four in my class. That year, however, my grades dropped dramatically. The cause: my first romance. Truth to tell, she made the first move. I was still too shy to initiate a romance, let alone woo a girl. (And this comes second)

*Our fuel was so low that we would have crashed had the army not taken control of Karachi airport. The nearly fatal confrontation with the prime minister brought me to power.

*Considered purely in military terms, the Kargil operations were a landmark in the history of the Pakistani army.

*It was nexus between Bhutto and small coterie of rulers that destroyed Pakistan. The myopic rigid attitude of (Bangladeshi leader) Sheikh Mujibur Rehman did not help matters and he played into Bhutto’s (Gen) Yahya (Khan’s) hand by remaining rooted in East Pakistan.

*She (Bhutto) would not like to go into an election because her party is not in a state to win at all.

I rest my case

This was stolen from Kamil Hamid’s facebook notes.

Cyber Crime Bill Promulgated by the President

My mother received the following in an email and asked me to be careful online.This is very, very frightening for someone like me who has a blog like this one. I could very well be arrested and tried under this ridiculous bill. This is the work of a power hungry dictator who wants no one to oppose him. I fear that it will be abused.

In a shocking development the President of Pakistan has promulgated the Cyber Crime bill, I don’t have the exact document but our last understanding of the issue – which was the ‘final draft’ this bill can be considered very dangerous for regular citizens. The bill forms a Tribunal which is in effect judge jury and executioner all encompassing, it allows the FIA full authority to confiscate and arrest anyone who is deemed by the government to be in violation of the ‘integrity of Pakistan’ labeled as a person having terroristic intent – this is a new word created by the Govt of Pakistan for the English Language . There maybe some good aspects to the law but when an agency or tribunal supersedes the Justice system one would tend to worry of its widespread potential to misuse.

As per the final draft – an officer can walk into my house confiscate my computer and arrest me, he/she does not have to explain why and neither give reason for the arrest. I shall remain in custody as long as it takes for the tribunal to take collect evidence. And if found guilty by the Tribunal I am punishable from 3-10 years &/or Rs. 5,00,000.

In all honesty I feel this is just a step to clamp down on the Internet and can be seen to be just like the PEMRA ordinance that was enforced on the media after Nov 3rd

DISCLAIMER: This is my own understanding as per the FINAL DRAFT that was up for approval – though our team of lawyers met the Ministry of IT and voiced their opinions, I am told that they were only heard and we don’t know if it was accepted into the bill. we await a copy and if someone has it please forward along

We must raise hell – don’t know if it will change anything but our protest must go all international news outlets

Nawaz Sharif’s faux pas

Nawaz Sharif is someone I was beginning to think wasn’t as bad as I had previously assumed. I think I changed my opinion of him because of the compassion he showed over BB’s death. He went straight to the hospital she was in, and in his media statement, he had tears in his eyes. He has been speaking out against the terrorist and has vowed to fight the extremism that is plaguing our land. Apparently the US government is reaching out to him now. Actually, they don’t really have much of a choice do they? No other party can be trusted to rule in a “secular” manner. What disturbs me, however, is the following story that was printed in Daily Times today: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=200815\story_5-1-2008_pg7_8

This is a little too reminiscent of how he treated the media when he was Prime Minister. It’s terribly unethical, unprofessional, and frankly, stupid of him to do such a thing.

Sharif lost his temper and seized the tapes. This is not the Pakistan where media was suppressed the way he did it. He needs to realise and acknowledge that. He also needs to stop being so wishy-washy about his exile agreement. Him and his brother, Shahbaz Sharif, need to get their stories straight. The journalists involved were told: “Ok pack up; this interview can’t be aired because you people have put tough questions and Nawaz has spoken harshly in answering your questions.” WTF?

If Sharif was in a temperamental mood and unprepared to answer the questions he was asked, he should not have agreed to the interview in the first place. He should have cancelled or consulted with his advisers. He needs to be able to answer the tough questions that are posed to him. He can no longer push them aside the way he did ten years ago. He should also see some of BB’s interviews. She knew how to answer any and all questions that were posed to her, no matter how difficult, or even insulting. This incident just proves that he really has no vision for this country and just wants to return to power. This is certainly no way for someone who wants to be the leader of a nation for the third time to behave. I really think this incident is not something to ignore. This probably reveals more about Sharif’s character than the press statements he issues.

We should never forget that Nawaz Sharif constantly tried to suppress the media during both his reigns. This is the man who had Najam Sethi kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night, traumatizing his children who were very young at that time, and locking his wife in the bathroom. Sethi’s disappearance was one of the most deplorable things he did. Once he had him in custody, he didn’t inform anyone of his whereabouts, leaving many wondering if he was dead. Sethi was released only after much international pressure. Apparently he did this because he objected to some critical statements Sethi made in India. He claimed it was “unpatriotic” to do so. He couldn’t take any criticism then and it seems he hasn’t learnt any tolerance even now. The question we need to ask is: can this man ever be trusted again? I truly don’t think so.

Excuses, excuses…

Musharraf has finally acknowledged that hosing down the forensic evidence immediately after the attack on Benazir Bhutto was a very stupid thing to do. I didn’t like his pathetic excuse though. He blames it on incompetence. He said some policemen thought it best to clean up the area as soon as possible. POLICE? Are you freaking kidding me? Police know that a crime scene should be sealed off and thoroughly investigated. If someone in the police doesn’t know that, they should be fired!

Gimme a break. At least Mush has indirectly acknowledged that he is working with fools and madmen- all his own.

God help us!

For the past two months I have being paralysed, depressed, and oh so angry. The emergency was the tipping point I think that had lead to a movement like we’ve never seen before. The last time so many people took to the streets to protest was in the 80s, during military dictator Zia’s time, when he introduced heinous laws such as the Hudood and zina ordinances. (For more information, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zia-ul-Haq’s_Islamization.) My own mother, one of the earliest members of Women’s Action Forum, was beaten and jailed on many occasions, including the time when she was pregnant with my brother. (Please don’t post a stupid comment such as the fact that she didn’t have to participate etc. She had to. Her silence would have meant consent. As a conscientious citizen, she needed to make a statement.)

Now here I am, sitting down to write. Finally. I need to now. I need to make my voice heard, not only through protests, but also through the internet so that I can reach out to others.

What a year 2007 was for Pakistan. As one of my friends, Adnan Ahmad, said: “I am convinced Musharraf needs a nappy change.” Pakistanis have been out protesting since March when the Chief Justice was unfairly dismissed since he refused to be a minion of Mush. This year has seen so much discord that “Dawn” has declared 2007 as the year of the protester. That’s what we all have been doing, and we will persevere.

Since I last published a post on my blog, Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated, which I’m assuming that just about anyone reading this knows. I was glued to the TV for 3 days. And, yes, I did cry. I shed many tears, not just for the one whom I once looked up to as a champion of democracy, but also because of the fact that no one deserves to die like members of the Bhutto family have. Although I was very critical of her policies, I recognise that she was one hell of a brave woman and perhaps the best face Pakistan had for the West. She knew that she was a target, yet she faced her supporters in public and did her signature wave. She was well loved by her followers, most of whom have been faithful to the party since her father Zulfiqar Bhutto first created it. And the fact of the matter is that the Pakistan People’s Party was and is the only secular party in Pakistan. And if I had to vote, I would vote for them.

I’m not big on conspiracy theories, but I have no option but to believe the story PPP is stating about her assassination. The Pakistani government’s explanation of how she died is one of the most ludicrous things I have ever heard. Blunt head trauma by hitting lever of the sunroof during explosion. Right. No bullets. Right. No autopsy and god knows whose x-rays. The fact is that governments the world over are calling for an investigation. We are all asking some very basic questions:
1. Why was the forensic evidence washed away? I remember being stupefied when I saw images of the police hosing down everything right after the occurrence.
2. Why was an autopsy not performed? Although her family requested that no post-mortem examination take place, the law clearly states that it has be conducted no matter what. The family’s consent is not needed.
3. The pictures that were obtained by DAWN News, and the video that has been released, clearly show that she disappears from the sunroof right after the shots have been fired, and, most importantly, before the blast. Therefore, the sunroof could not have hit her while she ducked. It doesn’t take more than 5 seconds to duck.
4. Behtullah Masud has denied that he was involved. I believe him because he is a terrorist. Terrorists are proud of the blood they shed. They aim to terrify of course, but they also do it to make a point. Muslim militant groups always claim responsibility.
5. The killing is very dissimilar to most suicide attacks. A gun and then blast. Has this ever happened before?
6. And, of course, the question BB posed to the government herself: why wasn’t she being provided with adequate security?

Yes, Musharraf and the army are to blame. Yes, the ISI was very much involved. They are doing this to silence us, to scare us into shutting up. What they’ve done, however, is step on their own feet. The vast majority of the country doesn’t believe the official explanation of how she died. People were up in arms for three days, including non-PPP members. We had no access to basic commodities such as petrol, gas, and food! All shops were closed out of fear. Luckily, here in Lahore, there was hardly any violent discontent. Clearly the few that care chose to protest through other means.

All I can wonder now is: what next? When will Musharraf finally go? When will we have free and fair elections? When will the judiciary be restored? When will the army finally fight the militants properly instead of letting them run amok in order to create more fear? When will I stop feeling fear? When will I feel safe? When will I stop wondering when my country is going to be torn to pieces?

I want discord. I want justice. I want peace. I want my country back.

Just another rant…

I had to struggle with the fact that it wasn’t my fault. I had to deal with the anger and the pain and so I repressed it. I let it flow and felt the anger take over all of me. And now I realize that it wasn’t me but you.

You who shaped me, moulded me and tried to get me to conform to what you believe is right. You who suppresses, who loves, who is the mother, the father, the child, the wise elderly, the doctor, the labourer, the rebellious teenager, the educated, the beggar, the corrupt, the honest, the hard worker, the leech, the scrooge and the philanthropist. You who lays down that rules that must be followed which include every aspect of my existence from the amount of clean air I breathe to the person I love (and how). You who controls what restrictions should be imposed upon me “for my own good”: what clothes I should wear, where I should go, who I should associate with, what I can eat, what I can do; what I cannot achieve because there is an endless list of what I must not do. These are the restrictions that you have imposed upon me purely because of my sex.

It is you who allows me to be viewed as an object rather than person. You treat my kind as animals rather than thinking reasoning humans with minds of their own. It is you who makes the streets unsafe for us to walk on. Public places meant for leisure are places where we feel highly insecure. Even in our homes we are not safe. In our homes we suffer all sorts of abuse that ranges from sexual abuse to mental threats. Beatings, burnings, acid faces, incest and other forms of violence. Don’t tell me about your long hard day at work. I have a daughter who has just been molested, a sister who has just been burnt, a friend who has lost her face because acid was thrown on it and I am the victim of constant rape, but since it is by my husband, it is not considered wrong.

Thinking about liberation is not right. Talking about wanting rights that will make our position in society better for us as individuals, rather than role model daughters, wives and mothers is dismissed as ludicrous by you. By you who I keep referring to, I don’t just mean the males among you, I also mean the women who have the ability and the power to make a change but prefer avoiding conflict. By you I mean the educated ones who decided to give up on careers and settle for meaningless socialising after having bagged a rich one. By you I mean those who once felt the blazing desire to change their position, but have now lost all their idealism. By you I mean those who have the resources to help but prefer to turn a blind eye. By you I mean the aunties to raise their daughters to fall into the same disgusting cycle. By you I mean those who advocate arranged marriages where females are put on display like prized horses at a grooming show. By you I mean the ones who will willingly allocate a lot more resources for their sons rather than their daughters. By you I mean the ones who stay silent. By you I mean those who allow horrific acts to occur before your very eyes because it serves your purpose. By you I mean those who don’t encourage those of us devoting our lives to make this world a better place for you and your children… those who scoff at the idea of women’s studies… those who say that there is no need for feminism, but there is a need for human rights. If you can’t place your own women in your position, if you can’t lower your pedestal for you own mother, wife and daughter, how are you going to do so for those who do not belong to the same class and religion as you?