Media outlets reported that Pakistani police launched a crackdown on Wednesday, arresting dozens of opposition activists and lawyers and forbidding demonstrations on the eve of the Long March. According to Dawn newspaper, “Thirty five political activists and lawyers were arrested in Islamabad during raids launched overnight and continuing beyond daybreak.” [News agencies did differ on the numbers of those arrested, with the NY Times reporting that an “estimated 300” activists were detained.]
Those rounded up include members of Nawaz Sharif’s opposition party PML-N. A senior police official told the AFP, “The government has provided lists of people to police and raids are being made to arrest them.” Other police sources told news agencies that a top PML-N figure, Raja Zafarul Haq, was placed under house arrest last night, and Dawn added, “Police dressed in civilian clothes attempted to arrest lawyers’ movement leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan from his residence early Wednesday morning but he was not present at the time.” The news agency noted, “Many lawyers and MPs have gone into hiding to avoid detention, and were unreachable by telephone at their homes and offices. Police also searched in vain for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who lives just outside the capital.” [Image from the AP]
BBC World radio did manage to interview Aitzaz Ahsan [you can hear the soundbite here], who was on the phone from an undisclosed location, confirming that police had raided his house to arrest him while he wasn’t there. Ahsan, who is not only a leading figure in the lawyers’ movement but a long-time member of the PPP, told the news agency that he was “not in confrontation with the party, but with people who are not prepared to redeem the pledge of the late Benazir Bhutto,” as well as the pledge by President Zardari to reinstate the judges, a promise he made last August.
According to the NY Times, “The government clampdown came after President Asif Ali Zardari introduced executive rule in Punjab province, Mr. Sharif’s stronghold. Citing security concerns, authorities have banned public gatherings in Punjab and Sindh provinces, as well as Islamabad,” but not yet in the NWFP, where Nawaz held a rally on Wednesday, urging supporters to join the Long March to Islamabad in order to “save Pakistan.” He asserted, “We can save it even in three days.” GEO News quoted him telling the Abottabad rally, “Today is a defining moment in Pakistan’s history. We can change the destiny of this country. Pakistan stands at a crossroads today and it is your duty to save it.” Earlier, his brother and former chief minister of Punjab, Shahbaz Sharif, stated, “If this [civilian] government bans political gatherings, then I don’t see how it is different from the military regime of Gen. Musharraf.”
Section 144, banning protests and marches, was imposed in Punjab and Sindh for three days and 15 days effectively. Nazim Lahore, Mian Amir Mehmood told Dawn,
This decision was taken because the government does not want large gatherings in Lahore in connection with the long march. As authority, I have approved the 144 section in Lahore…Our main concern is public safety. That is why this step was taken, we are ensuring to keep the law and order situation under control. The Lahore police has sufficient manpower for implementing this and are very capable of handling such a situation.
This is not the first time the government has attempted to “ensure law and order” in the past week. Last Monday, Zardari issued a decree to establish mobile courts that could adjudicate on minor offenses on the spot. According to the BBC News, the government said the purpose of the courts was to deliver quick justice “at the doorstep” in remote areas. “Provincial governments would have been authorized to ‘appoint as many persons as they thought fit’ to act as magistrates to head them,” noted the BBC. Opposition parties, not surprisingly, promptly condemned the decree, saying the mobile courts would instead be used to target activists and lawyers during the Long March. The mobile courts decree was subsequently dropped two days later, a decision “taken principally because of sustained political pressure against it at a time of increased tension between the government and opposition,” noted the BBC’s M Ilyas Khan.
Meanwhile, news agencies today reported the PPP and the PML-Q are likely to form a coalition government in Punjab. The announcement is expected to be made upon President Asif Ali Zardari’s return from his Iran tour, noted The News. The news agency added, “A few days ago, PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi had demanded of the President and Prime Minister the posts of Chairman and Deputy Chairman in Senate in exchange of their support for a PPP candidate as Punjab’s chief minister.” The coalition announcement, while not surprising given how quickly parties make and break political alliances, will not be a popular development. According to several analysts and pundits, the PPP orchestrated last week’s Supreme Court decisions so that the Long March would not have the full backing of the Punjab provincial government. However, the Court’s rulings, that essentially pushed the Sharif brothers out of power, only garnered them further support, particularly in their stronghold of Punjab province. Not only that, but the development also revitalized support for the Long March and the overarching lawyers’ movement.
Given today’s developments, expect to see a lot more support for the opposition and the Long March, not just from lawyers and opposition activists, but from people who are unhappy with the country’s direction under Zardari and the deteriorating economic, political and security situations. The wounds from Musharraf’s emergency rule are still raw in Pakistan, and recent developments stand in stark contrast to the government the PPP promised when they were elected last year. Although Zardari has often said that “democracy is the best revenge,” his recent policy decisions instead show that democracy can be the worst revenge.
How do you think this will end? Take the poll below:
Interesting poll “Kals.”
So Pakistan trades the Musharraf regime for a Musharraf-light regime and a leader whose actions encourage political instability? And this leader is ill-equipped to deal with the consequences? Doesn’t sound like a good deal to me.
Musharraf-lite! That’s an excellent way of putting it! Different packaging, same taste.
Oppressive policies that encourage political instability have become the norm for Pakistani leaders. What more could one expect from AAZ? I am curious to see how he handles the situation once Pakistan descends into chaos.
personal opinion is that it is likely that the military takes over and calls for new elections in which it is quite likely that the pml-n reign supreme..and the taliban militants will be off the list of priorities during the whole ordeal..depends how reluctant the military is to takeover though, and of one is to believe kayani’s doctrine of no-political-involvement of the military
Yeah I think there will be some kind of power deal between the military and PML-N, a hybrid military-“democratic” government if you will, which is not likely to last long, since they all seem to hate one another.
The blog, 5 Rupees, also noted that there are rumors that the military might put Imran Khan in power. Don’t think that’s likely, but at least he has better hair than Nawaz.
HAHAHAH LOVE IT..he definitely has better hair, and speaks better english. I was listening to Imran over the weekend on Geo and it was hilarious watching him debate this guy from PPP. Imran definitely believes in justice in government, but he just doesn’t have the support and may not really be understood by all. I don’t know that would be interesting. Where did these rumors start? That would be awesome for no other reason than Imran khan is not pml or ppp. I don’t know how prepared Imran himself is ready to work with the military though. He’s pretty idealistic in his views of a pakistani democracy.
While I agree with most that the Military is going to take over, I think, sadly, the Taliban-linked militants are going to consolidate more power regardless of who is in power, PPP, PML-N etc.
Imran definitely doesn’t have a power base, and his politics are terrible. He shoots himself in the foot every time he opens his mouth. Plus he’s anti-American one moment and then pro-American the next. Oh and then he’s anti-everything, which is always just fantastic. The man needs to pick a platform and go with it. Not only that but his party needs to be more than just “Imran Khan.” Name me one other major figure in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, and I’ll give you a crackerjack prize.
Yeah he’s definitely anti-everything. Which is kind of rad.ahahahaha. Yeah I TEI only has one seat, yet the most exposure on the airwaves. Well, Imran Khan has the exposure, not the TEI…ahahahhaa..He doesn’t have any grassroots support, true. But I think Winston churchill said this, “The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with a voter.” hahahahahaha..i think that sums up pml and ppps support..
Kalsoom, I just read your post a little more carefully. You’ve done a very impressive job providing us with a synopsis of the events. I did glance over a few other websites in the morning but nothing came close to this.
I can’t believe Zardari’s cronies are going as far as attempting to arrest Aitzaz Ahsan and Imran Khan. They seem to be digging themselves into a deeper and deeper grave as each day goes by.
I don’t see the Sharif brothers entering into an alliance with the military considering their relationship with Musharraf and the democratic principles they’ve been reiterating ever since their return to the country. Also, while Imran Khan is a great speaker and seems to have some great ideas for the country, his results at the polls (since the inception of the party) have been pretty horrendous. Therefore, a partnership between Kiyani and Tehreek e Insaaf may not hold up against the PML-N or PPP.
Shireen Mazari, political analyst extraordinaire is a part of PTI. She writes well. But gives off hot air too.
Arif Alvi, dentist extraordinaire. After you’ve had too many cups of tea listening to IK, you can always go to him for free dental consultation.
I say PTI is all about clean teeth and staying warm. How about that?
Dr. Arif Alvi is the Secretary General of Tehreek-e-Insaf and he is a past president of the Pakistan Dental Association. Where is my prize?
Yawar,
Did you men AWAB Alvi – as in Teeth Maestro? I didn’t know he was PTI.
Fine, fine. Crackerjack prize is yours.
Yawar stole my thunder because I was speaking with Dr. Alvi on the phone and thus typing slowly!
Also, I agree with Kals. There seems to be a Bangladesh scenario looming in Pakistan. The Army will take over and install their own puppet regime who’s string they’ll pull.
Even though this seems likely, you have to wonder if the lawyers and NS/SS will take this sitting down. I definitely wouldn’t. The Army has created too much of a mess.
Solution: Just freaking re-install CJ Chaudhry and take the wind out of the protest movement. Leave the PPP in power but with the BB loyalists running the show. Ban AAZ and his cronies forever. Let Gilani and Raza Rabbani run the show.
Then slowly hand over all power to your man, Yawar Herekar.
That, my friends, is the solution to all our problems.
Oh, consolation prize: bragging rights that you were speaking to Dr. Alvi. Tres cool.
This better not be Rehman Malik because that would throw another piece into this whole puzzle called Pakistani politics. Or rather it would complicate things further. Take your pick.
And I mean Awab’s father. Teeth Maestro told me at a shaadi I met him at that he was apolitical. Yeah, whatever…
Haha, Malik is definitely not Rehman Malik.
And I’m starting to think it’s very difficult to be Pakistani and apolitical. Those things are like oil and water.
sometimes i wonder why lawyers and politicians in the US didn’t conduct any long marches when george w. shredded the constitution to bits…i suppose those are the consequences of an indirect-democracy..or apathetic public..and apathetic judiciary..or a much too politically active judiciary in pakistan..which is it?
Shaheryar-
A politically active judiciary is an oxymoron in my opinion. In theory, they may make decisions on politicized issues but they are not supposed to be political. Goes against the notion that they are SUPPOSEDLY impartial. Again, that’s in theory, that def doesn’t exist in Pakistan now, nor did the CJ possess that quality if I’m being perfectly frank.
Speaking of Teeth Maestro, btw, he is blogging live about the Long March – http://www.teeth.com.pk
kalsoom…or kals- yeah but in the states you do have what they call activist judges..but they are still in no way AS politically active as in pakistan..i agree, it is somewhat of an oxymoron..pakistan needs a new system of nominating judges based on merit..and they can’t be ex-ppp or ex-pml as some of them are now..or a lot of them…ridiculous
What I’ve always found interesting in our country is how a judge can’t only just be a judge, he’s also a politician! Aitzaz Ahsan is a laywer but also a politician! Countless others are politicians and businessmen, the list goes on.
The dangerous combination of mixing politics and the judiciary will mean that all decisions made are politicized to some extent. That is the reality, but it’s not a good one.
Hi Kalsoom,
I hope this crisis will quickly pass.I wish the best to all my Pakistani friends who are working to put back Pakistan on the right track and I know that you are one of them working towards that.
Great post Kals!
I’m very surprised by the results of the poll.. a full 25% actually think the Taliban WILL take over due to a supposed political vacuum that’s been created? (That must be Rafay’s ghost voting 5 times in a row) .Why was that option even included in the poll, if I may ask? It just seems fantastical, virtually impossible given that the Pakistan military has 700,000 ACTIVE troops. And another 30 million on-call. How on earth could that happen? So, very interesting poll results so far.
Aside from a few additional army checkpoints in the city, I don’t see much going on. Everything looks perfectly calm, and people are going about their business as usual. Then you turn on the TV and it looks like all hell has broken loose. My point is I think a lot of people tend to sensationalize events here, maybe for entertainment.
It IS more interesting. But Just to suggest radical situations could actually happen sometimes have a self-fulfilling quality about them. Let’s avoid wild speculations, even in something as benign as an online poll.
HGW, interesting point. Just out of curiosity, which calm city are you in?
@HGW
I think you read the choice wrong. The idea is that the Taliban will have the opportunity to strengthen in certain areas, while there is all this chaos. Don’t be too quick to jump to conclusions.
I’m in Islamabad.. and yea, ur right butters, my bad
[…] – Changing Up Pakistan reports that ahead of the long march, crackdown on opposition activists and lawyers have started: Media […]
HGW,
Don’t knock the poll results yet, it’s only been about three hours, the results can change when more people vote.
I guess multiple things can happen out of the options. And yes, thanks Butters, I just meant the Taliban can gain in strength not that they will take over the country. Political vacuums are a dangerous thing, as we’ve seen with the latest violence as well as last week’s Sri Lanka attacks.
But regardless, any political instability will provide a vacuum and hence an opportunity for the Taliban to gain advantage. The military could stage a takeover, but also place the PML-N in power as we noted before.
It’s not a scientific poll by any means, but I thought it made things a bit more interactive.
@HGW..islamabad is ten minutes outside of pakistan
Well I went to pindi today, murree road, it’s also totally calm and normal. Nothing out of the ordinary whatsoever. All shops were open, lots of traffic as usual.
[…] “http://teabreak.pk/government-crackdown-ahead-of-long-march-42/16937/” }); Read more at: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan ahsan, bbc world, benazir bhutto, civilian clothes, government crackdown, movement leader, […]
Do you think it will stay that way? I agree with you when you say the news media tends to sensationalize things. But the last time when you said things are calm and normal, I recall my family not being able to go the bank or really anywhere in Pindi for that matter because of the situation on the streets. So while things are sensationalized, I think if you are in Pindi or any of these places when things are going down it’s a different scene. I don’t know though, I’ll have to see for myself when I land in Pindi tomorrow and start my own parallel long march. hahahaha
Hey-
Don’t diss Islamabad!
That’s the thing though, things might be a bit calm today, but it could also depend on your perceptions when you step out onto the streets and what time. HGW I think you make a good point, but I think Islamabad next week will be anything but calm, but we shall have to see.
If it is calm-that means the government clamp-down was successful. If it’s chaotic (to use the term loosely) than the long march has achieved one of its objectives.
News of interest: Nawaz Sharif fears assassination as party begins protest
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/11/nawaz-sharif-assassination-claim
might just happen, you never know with Zardari in power.
I read somewhere that he announced he’s taking his bulletproof glass off his car windows.
Not smart. I know you’re making this thing dramatic, but don’t be stupid about your safety.
Really urge people to also join in on the LIVE Discussion on Teeth Maestro: http://teeth.com.pk/blog/2009/03/11/long-march-live-updates
I’ve been asked to be one of the “producers,” i.e. write in with news updates and help moderate comments etc.
Again, Sitting outside and seeing things from a biased media mindset, what I see, is the fact the Pakistan is again going through rough internal instability. But surprisingly, I have a gut feeling that this is “The Storm Before The Calm”. I think that the participation by people of the streets to set things right is taking shape in some form or the other. Prez Zardari’s move to castle Sharif’s would just be a catalyst at the most. The suppressed frustration of masses need an outlet and probably March 16 would prove to be that channel. The only hurdle in this entire process would be the intervention by Gen Kayani. Now if he decides to take things under his control to stabilise the situation artificially, the frustation would get further suppressed and god only knows how, when and in what form would it come out later. The other aspect would be how far would the warring politicos push this. Keeping it till 16/03 would be ok. But if one of them takes this personally and tries to push it forward sensing victory, then there is a problem, which will result in huge collateral damage.
But if one goes by the media reports, then there is definitely some intervention by the ARMY which has started. Lets hope sensibilities prevail before much collateral damage. My vote, another election in the offing sometime soon.
It’s funny how Rafay still lives on even though he’s apparently disappeared into oblivion…(HGW’s comment). That, or either he’s been recruited by the TSNM and is enjoying guavas in Swat!
If NS is assasinated, Zardari would have dug his own grave. And trust me, something like this would throw the country into further chaos.
And heard the rumuors, Zardari was stated not to come back from China and go to Dubai if the whole long march would have destabilized his govt. Well, apparently just rumuors since he’s back.
Sharif Brothers are taking revenge not from Zardari but from Pakistan now!!
Actually Zardari made them “Maamoo” and they became mad…
Great post Kals!!
Is is not ironic that Nawaz Sharif now wants to come back to power on coat tails of lawyers movement– if you recall when he was in power he was instrumental in making a mockery of the judicial process and undermining the very institutions which he want to uphold now.