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After the assassination, all businesses were closed and public transportation was stopped. Domestic flights were canceled and streets were deserted in anticipation of violence. Fuel tankers could not get to gas stations and basically everyone was stuck wherever they were. Amidst these circumstances, people still showed up in hundreds of thousands to pay their final respect to Bhutto.
Within five to ten minutes of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, even before the news channels reported anything, almost everyone in Pakistan knew about the news. Cell and land phones were ringing non-stop. Within the next half an hour, there was considerable panic in the air. There was an unsaid fear of riots and violence on the streets. Shops started closing in the lively city of Lahore. A city that never sleeps. A city that was celebrating the colorful wedding season. Family members and friends were desperately trying to get in touch with their loved ones, trying to ensure that they are home and safe. The violence followed ...
Pakistan's "fair" elections are fast approaching. This picture shows state police putting up banners for the pro-Musharraf PML-Q party. Bike is the election symbol of PML-Q. How can the elections be fair if state resources are used to promote a particular political party?
This image is from December 17th 2007, the state of emergency in Pakistan is officially over. Can't you tell that from the treatment human rights activists are getting for expressing their views? These images make us ashamed of being associated with Pakistan.
Musharraf declared an end to the emergency situation in Pakistan on Dec 15th 2007 citing a more stable situation in the fight against terrorism. This statement is a mockery of the current situation in Pakistan, as the emergency had nothing to do with any fight against militants.
"Musharraf can be confident that his gambit has worked as well as he could have hoped. In six weeks, he has packed the courts with loyal judges, amended the Constitution to protect him from legal challenges, and eviscerated the media's powers. And his political opposition is weaker and more fractured than before." (Asim Tanveer/Reuters)
The win for Musharraf is that he is still the President of Pakistan and the dust of opposition against him seems to be settling down in the country with people returning to their daily lives. The win for those who protested against the emergency situation and violation of human rights is that Musharraf resigned as Chief of the Army Staff - a long awaited move. There were fears that he might never resign from the country's most powerful post, turning into an evil dictator with no check on his powers. The recent crisis and the resulting international pressure helped in taking his "second skin" away. With the judiciary still crippled, a to-be-rigged election coming up, and an increasingly unpopular retired General as President, the fight for freedom and justice is far from over. This end to emergency holds little meaning, apart from stating that Musharraf is feeling relatively comfortable and in control.
| LUMS Alumni Homecoming is this weekend (Saturday, Dec 15, 2007). For those of you who just landed in the country, there will be a registration desk on the venue (Library Lawn) at 7:00 pm on the event date. So do turn up, register on the spot and join your friends for an evening of fun including the Strings concert. |
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| On Nov 26th 2007, Yale Law School hosted a panel discussion about the ongoing legal crisis in Pakistan and its implications for rule-of-law movements in Pakistan. Prof Osama Siddique, a faculty member at LUMS, was one of the three speakers. You can watch the panel discussion here. |
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Pakistan's nuclear arsenal may not be at risk, but its heritage is. Unlike the nation's prized nuclear weapons, little attention is paid to safe guard Pakistan's precious historical monuments. The disturbing picture above shows the destruction of a 23-foot-high 7th century Buddha carved into a rock face in Jehanabad (a village in the touristic Swat Valley).
This area of northern Pakistan was along a major route of the Silk Road. A radical cleric, Fazlullah, launched a Taliban-style campaign in the Swat Valley destroying this Buddha amongst other things. Pakistan's army is fighting these militants, but they were not there to save the Jehanabad Buddha. These militants are an extremely small local cult, not representative of even the religious conservatives. Their actions have costed us more than what they can even comprehend. A part of our history, showing the artistic influence of the conquests of Alexander the Great, died. A sad day indeed.
Teddy bears are cute, creating religious issues around them is not. Lets not allow the minority, who is doing so, reflect the opinion of 1.5 billion people.
This Levi's ad represents how seriously most, politically apathetic, people in Pakistan take the current state of emergency. This photo was taken by a LUMS Alumni while visiting Lahore.
