Student Action Committee, Lahore Protest at Liberty Chowk

Student in many of the major cities of Pakistan gathered today in a coordinated mass protest. In Lahore, student protestors from 21 universities converged at Liberty Chowk today under the banner of Student Action Committee Lahore. They wore black armbands and brandished colourful placards. They were also joined by some lawyers, doctors and other members of the civil society, and a total of nearly six hundred people circled the roundabout in a human chain. They vigourously shouted pro-judiciary slogans, with a number of students making speeches calling for first and foremost the immediate restoration of the judiciary and then the devolution of power to the common people through a free and fair electoral process, with a withdrawal of military influence from all civilian affairs. The students stressed that no one should expect their movement to soon fizzle out, for they are definitely in it for the long haul and would not stop agitating for the cause of truth and justice. The students made it clear that no elections would be considered legitimate without the restoration of the pre-Nov 3^rd judiciary. The gathering dispersed after the singing of the national anthem and distribution of flyers aiming to spread awareness about their demands. As one student said, "We have proved today that people do not need to fear student politics. We have not triggered chaos and violence. We made sure to make our protest totally peaceful and also totally environment friendly, with not even a single flower being trampled and no littering on the grass. The students of Pakistan have come out with a sincere desire to work for and call for the welfare of our nation." The protest took place facing hundreds of members of the Elite Police Force, who initially issued an ultimatum to the protestors to disperse within fifteen minutes or else face arrests. Faced with loud refusals by the students, however, the police remained on the sidelines and the protestors continued their rally for an hour.

see more pictures here

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Development and GDP rates

The economy of Pakistan has grown on average at seven per cent during last four financial years. But does this impressive growth rate mean that the country is well and truly on a solid footing with regard to socio-economic development? The answer is not so straightforward. Read more here

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Letter from daughter of CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry

The following is the full text of a letter written by the daughter of Pakistan's deposed chief justice, obtained by the Guardian after it was smuggled out of his home where he and his family are currently detained under house arrest :

"I am a proud child"

This letter is for all the Judges who refused to take oath under PCO and who happen to be my uncles as well. I had never thought that one day I will have to convey my message to you people like this, through this mode but we know things are not smooth as they had been and it is one of our testing times.

This might be one of the crucial times we are facing but we should be proud that Allah chose us to sacrifice for this country. Yes it is indeed a sacrifice which we have to bequeath, not for ourselves but for this country. Ever since I opened my eyes I have seen my father affiliated with judiciary and now it is like a part of our lives. Our life is like a tree and judiciary is one of its branch. We have grown up with this branch and we cannot let anybody slice it. If we will not protect it then who else?

We may not be allowed to attend our schools or universities, we may have got our mobile phones blocked, we may not be allowed to meet anyone or go out, we may be kept in our homes like prisoners, we might be treated like militants or terrorists but WE DONOT CARE, because it's a time of sacrifice and we have to do it.

We are proud to have elders like you who have made us proud. You people have made our lives, not only for us but for our next generations as well. We will feel proud to tell our youngsters that our elders did not succumb to any kind of pressure no matter how hard things were around them. We will always walk with our heads high and our hearts filled with pride. Thank you so much for giving this immortal gift to us.
I hope all of you are in best of your health and would read this letter. Love you all.

Yours Pinky (Palwasha Iftikhar Chaudhry)

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/pakistan/Story/0,,2219270,00.html

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Really great investment of time, if you have about 45 online minutes

Musharraf, the man of his words!!!

A really great video compilation of Musharraf's tenure and his statements over the past:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/avconsole/bb_wm_fs.shtml?redirect=fs.shtml&lang=ur&nbram=1&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&bbram=1&ws_pathtostory=http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/wsindex/int/av/urdu/-/urdu/news/avfile/2007/11/&bbcws=1&ws_storyid=071127_mushinuniform

APDM Boycotts Elections

APDM boycotts elections

Come to the rally on Nov 30

means
the repellent silence in valley of malice should b inhabited somehow ...
u, who's been crushed with brutality, must say something atleast, raise ur voice...
it may seem to be of no use but do complain to the cruel about his cruelty...
Speak Loud, shout, there must b something to originate the resound of the doom's day

What we miss while talkin abt democracy

A comment from ASDI while
Commentin on Imran's action of tearing nomination papers
is worth displaying here i guess. He tells us wht we usually miss while talkin abt democracy n just believe tht free n fair elections n the count of votes is all abt democracy...

ASDI said "remember what we never keep in mind
democracy is not fair elections only it is also chosing the candidate who desrves."

Boycott Elections Campaign - PMLN leadership contacts

It is critical for PML-N to opt for boycotting the sham elections that Musharraf is about to conduct without reinstating our judges. Please contact the PML-N leaders below and request them to boycott the elections and side with the judges, lawyers, students and civil soceity of Pakistan. See the contacts of PMLN Leadership at Thought Stream: Boycott Elections Campaign - PMLN leadership contacts:

Is there a safe passage?

By Javed HussainIN 1933, Hitler was nominated the chancellor of Germany by President Hindenberg. But before he could take office he was required to get his appointment approved by a new Reichstag (parliament).Afraid that his Nazi party would not win an absolute majority in the elections, Hitler decided to create a situation which would necessitate the imposition of an emergency. He engineered the burning of the Reichstag. Following this he got the president to issue an emergency decree for the ‘Protection of the people and the state’, which enabled him to suspend fundamental rights and imprison anyone without trial.The Reichstag elections were held in November 1933 in which the Nazi party got 43.9 per cent of the votes, not an absolute majority. Therefore, in order to free himself of any parliamentary restraint, he sought the passage of the ‘Enabling Act’, which would give him the power to make laws without the approval of the Reichstag.Since the Act deviated from the constitution, it needed a two-thirds majority to be adopted. Using subterfuge, intimidation and violence, he managed to get the Act passed by 444 votes to 94.He thus became a legal dictator and promptly brought all political and social institutions, including the press and the courts, under his control. But he made sure that the privileged position of the army was secured.Seventy-four years later Hitler’s extremist political credo is being replicated in Pakistan. In 1999, people had welcomed the Musharraf coup. Many thought that the saviour had finally arrived. They had great expectations for their country’s and their own future. Yet on Mar 9, their hopes came crashing down as he showed his true colours.He thought that by intimidating the Chief Justice he would force him to resign; he was surprised. He then filed a reference; he was surprised again.... But his scheme could fail if the political parties get their act together and spearhead the movement launched by the lawyers, journalists and civil society. If the movement reaches a crescendo before the elections, it could force a rethink on his western and local sponsors about the wisdom of supporting a person who has become a liability.One of Hitler’s cronies had thundered that “the government will brutally beat down everyone who opposes it. We do not say an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth; no, he who knocks out one of our eyes will get his head cut off, and he who knocks out one of our teeth will get his jaw smashed in.”From the stage at the carnival in Islamabad [May 12], while the dead and the dying were lying in the streets of Karachi, the president had thundered in similar style.While the dissenters were “brutally beaten down”, they continue to resist. The courage, honour and sacrifice of people like Asma Jehangir, Aitzaz Ahsan, Munir Malik, Ali Ahmad Kurd, Tariq Mahmood, Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhry and his colleagues, and Imran Khan, have not only turned them into national heroes, but also inspired the tormented people of Pakistan to rise from their slumber. He will be surprised yet again.Like Field Marshal Paulus and his 6th German Army at Stalingrad, he has been encircled. But unlike Paulus, a safe passage may yet be made available to him.The writer is a retired brigadier of the SSG of the Pakistan Army.( The above piece was posted on "Dawn" newspapers' opinion page, of the Nov. 28th circulation.)

The Emergency Times

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