Pakistan President sacks chief justice

[Bull]

' It is very irritating to me that lawyers and members of political parties took the law into their own hands long before they knew what the chief justice is accused of. Why can't they wait to hear the judgment of the supreme court? Many people say that they want to see our institutions strengthened, but how can we do that if we are not prepared to wait and let them function before we start attacking them? My message to my countrymen is to be patient and let the higher authorities deal with the matter. '
Faraz Hussain Naqvi, USA

excerpt from BBC

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6445135.stm

What do you guys think about this comment of Faraz Hussain?

 

[Awesome]

Bull, PML-Q is basically convinced they don't have a shot at winning the next elections. They are purposely making this situation much worse so that martial law is imposed.

I feel like going back to Pakistan doing something about it. Slap Shaukat Aziz maybe. So badly want to throw a punch after seeing all the images from ARY and Geo News.

Where was the need to send Police into Geo News' office and break things? Would it not get televised? Wouldn't the government lose face? I don't know if Musharraf is involved or not but I'm darn sure the army would be breathing down his neck to impose martial law.

The Chief Justice Iftikhar Chowdary is a darn bold and capable dude. He stoked issues with Shaukat Aziz by calling his government's 45 members who might not be university graduates and hence no eligible to contest in elections. Hence they pretty much framed the chief justice. I'm not saying the CJ didn't do those measily little things which anyone in power does. He has charges against him that he used his influence to get his son a nice job. Big deal!

The other twist is that the CJ was being helped out in getting his son the job and in most other cases by the government. They wanted to frame him so gave him favors.

If Musharraf isn't involved he would be sacking Shaukat Aziz and holding the elections early.

 

[genmirajborgza786]

You mean they had discussed this with you ?

Ok if taken as true what you think what would be the most wana be section.

(though all ur hate is based on PML(N) politics)

yes i agree & i my self is not a very big fan of pml(n) either but you cant rule out that the whole episode has strengthened the M.M.A specially the public arrest of Qazi Hussein Ahmed that can have its own consequences

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Bull, PML-Q is basically convinced they don't have a shot at winning the next elections. They are purposely making this situation much worse so that martial law is imposed.

I feel like going back to Pakistan doing something about it. Slap Shaukat Aziz maybe. So badly want to throw a punch after seeing all the images from ARY and Geo News.

Where was the need to send Police into Geo News' office and break things? Would it not get televised? Wouldn't the government lose face? I don't know if Musharraf is involved or not but I'm darn sure the army would be breathing down his neck to impose martial law.

The Chief Justice Iftikhar Chowdary is a darn bold and capable dude. He stoked issues with Shaukat Aziz by calling his government's 45 members who might not be university graduates and hence no eligible to contest in elections. Hence they pretty much framed the chief justice. I'm not saying the CJ didn't do those measily little things which anyone in power does. He has charges against him that he used his influence to get his son a nice job. Big deal!

The other twist is that the CJ was being helped out in getting his son the job and in most other cases by the government. They wanted to frame him so gave him favors.

If Musharraf isn't involved he would be sacking Shaukat Aziz and holding the elections early.

do you think that pm.shaukat aziz is up-to something fishy coz this action of his as you mentioned has clearly exaggerated the situation & as i said the M.M.A capitalized on it & only got stronger their trick has blended well with the people's anger and the M.M.A can now fuel it thats where the real danger is

 

[Awesome]

who knows. But no one in Pakistan has the guts to orchestrate the series of events that we've seen so far.

Hamid Mir while talking to Musharraf just asked him "Is this a conspiracy against you?" And he said "It's something what I'd have to look into". We all know Pervez Elahi has several allegations of hiring incompetent candidates into Punjab police who carry some sort of strong reference. Now this operation was largely carried out by a DSP of Punjab police who claimed that the news reporters pulled two police officers into the building and were beating him up.

Sounds like BS? Reporters taking on a 50 police officers? The police were doing one thing... They kept asking for the news room but kept vandalizing the Geo News building. Now if they were going to stop the broadcasts, they should've just tried to take off the broadcasting tower or something. Rather they were breaking windows and firing tear gas. Why?

 

[genmirajborgza786]

the latest updated (thing's don't look good)

Last Updated: Friday, 16 March 2007, 13:20 GMT

Confrontation in Pakistan deepens

Protesters in Pakistan have been defying security forces to rally in support of the suspended top judge in the Supreme Court.
Police in the capital, Islamabad, used tear gas against demonstrators and smashed equipment at a TV station showing the protests.
President Pervez Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry last week for abuse of office. The judge's supporters say the move is aimed at muzzling the judge. Mr Chaudhry has a reputation for independence and has challenged the government on several cases. Barbed wire Friday's violence in Islamabad began shortly before Mr Chaudhry made his second appearance before a tribunal at the Supreme Court.
Mr Chaudhry has challenged the government on several cases There were similar protests when he appeared before the tribunal on Tuesday. Hundreds of lawyers rallied on Friday outside the Supreme Court despite sweeping security restrictions. Security forces had blocked traffic and rolled barbed wire across roads leading up to the courthouse. The lawyers were supported by high-profile opposition figures. Clashes broke out and police detained a number of protesters. They included Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the hard-line Islamic coalition, the MMA, who was taken away in a police vehicle. Also arrested was Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, another senior Islamic politician. The police also moved in large numbers into the Islamabad offices of the private Geo TV station which, like other media outlets, has been defying government attempts to influence their coverage of the protests.The police used long batons to smash glass, furniture and broadcast equipment. In Lahore, a former president, Rafique Tarar, was arrested as he led a demonstration. On Thursday hundreds of opposition activists were detained in efforts to stop Friday's protest from going ahead.
'Triumphant'

Chief Justice Chaudhry denies charges of misconduct.
The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says he made a triumphal entry into the Supreme Court on Friday.

Qazi Hussain Ahmed was arrested outside the court

Supporters surrounded his vehicle, and some rode on top of it through the gate.
They chanted slogans like "justice lead, we will follow". Many of the slogans were also aimed against President Musharraf for his decision to suspend Mr Chaudhry last Friday.
Gen Musharraf has accused protestors of politicising the issue and says he will abide by the decision of the judicial tribunal.
Our correspondent says that Mr Chaudhry's suspension seems to have become a rallying point for all those with grievances against the government.

Suspended

The media is facing further restrictions on its reporting. The broadcasting authority, Pemra, has banned Geo TV from showing one of its current affairs programmes.

Both Geo and another network, Aaj, have had their broadcasts suspended in recent days due to their coverage of the protests.

The suspension has angered the legal community
Mr Chaudhry was suspended a week ago by President Musharraf after he had received "numerous complaints and serious allegations for misconduct, misuse of authority and actions prejudicial to the dignity of office of the chief justice of Pakistan", the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency said.
Details of the charges have not been made public.
Lawyers say the judge's suspension is an assault on judicial independence.

They have been on strike all week over the issue in protest against the suspension.

The chief justice himself has vowed to fight his case, both to clear his name and to defend the independence of the judiciary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6457019.stm

 

[genmirajborgza786]

(Qazi Hussain Ahmed was arrested outside the court)



this is exactly what the M.M.A needed

 

[genmirajborgza786]

Names of political leaders arrested

Former president of Pakistan Rafiq Tarar (his is in serious condition)

Lt. Gen. (R) Hameed Gul

Qazi Hussain Ahmed

Hafiz Husain AHmed

Hafeez Paracha

Maulana Ghafoor Haidri

Saad Rafiq

And a lot more

wait a minute did you just say Lt. Gen. (R) Hameed Gul
then along with Qazi Hussain Ahmed all these two need is some common understanding who knows maybe they already have one.

 

[genmirajborgza786]

"Islamabad sealed off to enforce ban on gathering"!what is going on this doesn't looks good at all.......


Islamabad sealed off to enforce ban on gathering




By Syed Irfan Raza and Ahmed Hassan

ISLAMABAD, March 15: The government on Thursday decided to seal off the capital, call in extra police force and take strict action against people violating a ban on public gatherings outside the Supreme Court during the second hearing of the presidential reference against ‘non-functional’ Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Friday.

Government sources said that a contingent of more than 1,000 policemen, called in from Punjab, had been deployed at entry points and other important places along with personnel of the Capital Police and Rangers.

Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said all possible measures would be taken to maintain security, including the sealing off of the capital.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference here, federal Information Minister Muhammad Ali Durrani accused the opposition of trying to create a law and order situation and said it was spreading ‘baseless rumours’ and trying to disturb peace by threatening to synchronise a protest outside the Supreme Court with the Supreme Judicial Council’s proceedings.

The minister offered ‘official transport’ for newsmen who wished to ‘cover’ the SJC hearing. However, he denied that the Constitution Avenue would be closed to private traffic.

On Thursday evening, several pickets manned by armed security personnel and tear-gas vehicles were seen in the city. Barricades and rings of barbed wire have been erected at many points on roads leading to the Constitution Avenue.

The measures were taken after a series of security meetings held at the interior ministry, the local administration and police to chalk out a plan to maintain ‘peace’ during the second hearing of the reference.

“The government is worried that Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed will offer Friday prayers outside the Supreme Court building despite the ban on public gatherings in Islamabad,” a senior security official said.

He said that terrorists could exploit the situation to get “as far as the Supreme Court in the guise of JI activists,” he added.

He said the JI chief had not obtained any permission to organise Friday prayers outside the apex court building and action would be taken if the JI chief made such an attempt.

“We cannot allow any demonstration or a public gathering outside the Supreme Court because such activity can disturb the smooth proceedings of the Supreme Judicial Council,” Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao told Dawn.

Lawyers of Islamabad have also called a public meeting outside the SC building.

The security official revealed that Islamabad would be sealed early in the morning and no vehicle would be allowed to enter the capital.

Administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad have ordered transporters to stop the service between the two cities on Friday.

Managements of various universities, including the Islamic International University and the Quaid-i-Azam University, were also asked to keep their vehicles off the routes leading to the Constitution Avenue.

Most schools in the two cities have announced a ‘holiday’ for today.

Information Minister Durrani said police “will not press” the non-functional Chief Justice of Pakistan and let him go to the court by any means he preferred.

He said notice had been taken about “whatever happened between a federal minister and a senior journalist on a television show” and would be dealt with accordingly.

Deflecting allegations that the Chief Justice’s lawyers were not allowed to meet him, the minister said every complaint in this regard ought to be submitted to the Supreme Judicial Council, and claiming that a large number of people from “various walks of life” had met the Chief Justice on Thursday.

Mr Durrani said that the government was “abiding by parameters set by the Supreme Judicial Council” about commenting on the issue of the presidential reference.

When asked that if the presidential reference and the rendering of a sitting CJ non-functional was correct, why had the International Court of Justice expressed concern about it, the minister said the statement was “based on hearsay”.

The minister said that Sheikh Rashid’s statement about excesses against the CJP and his family was based on the supposition that if it had been done, it was wrong.

He said he did not think any crisis existed in the country and said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz would return in the evening from Tajikistan in accordance with the twice-changed programme. He was originally scheduled to pay a three-day visit, which was curtailed to two days but he had “decided” to complete the three-day tour at the “insistence of his hosts”.

http://www.dawn.com/2007/03/16/top11.htm

 

[Awesome]

Actually the court and Presidential house is very close by. They held the gathering close to the Presidential house and then Qazi tried himself to break through a police barricade. You know doing all theatrics and drama to stir up a frenzy.

 

[SMC]

Question is who would replace Musharraf if Musharraf goes? God willing, I hope I never see the day when either MMA or Nawaz or Benazir rule Pakistan. Imran Khan might be a solution, but he also has started to side with the likes of MMA and JI as of late.

 

[Lahori paa jee]

You mean they had discussed this with you ?

Ok if taken as true what you think what would be the most wana be section.

(though all ur hate is based on PML(N) politics)

Ab mujhe call to khair nahi kiya but this can be any sort of diversion.

Attack on Geo TV office islamabad could be one. Within minutes of that attack Information minister Muhammad Durrani entered that office. Could be orchestrated by ISI, interior ministry and Geo. Read todays news..... A paper that was supposed to be showing pics of politicians, lawyers and journalists being beaten by police is has now only one story...... Media under siege.

This is a diversion tactic by the government the one i predicted. Jang group has served its master well and they have not let them down again.

 

[Owais]

Now here is just an apology!
I dont know what he want

Musharraf apologises for raid on TV station


ISLAMABAD (updated on: March 16, 2007, 20:20 PST): President Pervez Musharraf personally apologised for a raid by riot police on a private television station on Friday, in a rare live telephone interview with the channel.

Footage showed police entering the office of Geo Television in Islamabad during violent protests over the sacking of the country's chief justice and breaking windows and smashing equipment.

"I would like to apologise, such an incident should not have happened. The culprits must be identified and punished today," Musharraf told one of the channel's anchormen.

Military ruler Musharraf said he would be "personally involved" in taking action following the incident, adding that he had already given orders for the station to be compensated.

"Safeguarding human rights is our mandate. I therefore strongly condemn this violation. This is such a big incident which should not have happened," he said.

Musharraf said it was possible the attack was part of a "conspiracy" against him, adding: "In my view this is a sabotage of the whole process. I would say it is a sabotage of whatever we stand for, whatever we are doing."

However Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao earlier blamed the incident on activists from a religious group, saying they grabbed a policeman and took him into the Geo building, leading police to give chase.

The incident came a day after Geo said local regulators had ordered it to stop airing its flagship daily news programme "Today with Kamran Khan" until further orders.

"The police damaged our infrastructure. This attack on the freedom of the press is unprecedented in the 60-year history of this country," Khan, who presents the programme, said after the police incident on Friday.

The offices of The News, an English language-daily, and the Urdu-language Jang, which are both part of the same media group as Geo, were also damaged, sources at the group said.

Another channel accused the government of fresh attempts to censor their coverage of the row over Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, whose sacking by Musharraf on March 16 sparked the protests.

"We have been told not to make Chaudhry a hero and to avoid undue coverage of lawyers' protests," said Talat Hussain, head of the news section of Aaj television said earlier on Friday.

The station had been threatened with removal from the airwaves or even losing its licence, he added.

Irfan Ahmed, a cable operator in Karachi, said he had been told to "cut off news channels which violate the instructions."

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders this week slammed Pakistan for allegedly suspending broadcasts by Aaj and Geo after they screened footage on Monday of clashes between police and lawyers.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists denounced the government's moves.

"We call on President Musharraf to live up to his stated commitment to freedom of the press and stop what appears to be retaliation against Geo TV for critical coverage," said Bob Dietz, the group's Asia programme co-ordinator.

 

[Owais]

A Very great image of our current polits in the country has just been projected in front of whole world!

World media covers Geo News attack
NEW YORK: Police attack on Geo News was condemned on international level and world media gave coverage to the incident occurred on Friday.

Condemning the attack on Geo TV and The News, New York Committee to Protect Journalists termed it unjust and barbaric act.

Talking to Geo News correspondent Azeem Mian, Communication Director of the organization Abbey Right held the attack extremely deplorable and tantamount to the sabotage of democratic values.

Reacting to stopping Geo News programme ‘Aaj Kamran Khan key Sath’, CPJ said this act by the government is like strangulating the press.

According to Indian newspaper websites, the police, apparently being enraged by Geo News coverage of Justice Iftikhar Mohammed, broke into Geo News office and smashed the windowpanes.

According to an international French news agency, police broke into the office and manhandled the staff people and threw tear gas inside the office.

The news agency said the action against Geo News might spoil the image of the government.

According to a British TV website, police attacked Geo News situated at Blue Area here and tried to enter the news room and shattered all panes.
http://geo.tv/geonews/details.asp?id=3505&param=1

 

[Contrarian]

yeah, its on ALL the news channels, Indian or otherwise.