DISAPPOINTMENT OVER MUSHARRAF'S ABUSE OF RULE OF LAW

When I read Pervez Musharraf's 2006 autobiography, In the Line of Fire, I was perplexed by the following on pp. 152-153:

"If the nation goes, so does the constitution. But if the constitution especially a flawed one, goes, the nation still remains and can always give itself another constitution or correct the flaws in the first one. Thus our ultimate duty is to preserve the nation. The choice may be stark, but it is obvious: Pakistan comes first - always."

Pakistan's president says the nation comes before its constitution. Do away with the constitution if it means saving the nation.

Is this why General Musharraf feels unconstrained in attacking the Pakistani Chief Justice? Today the BBC reports that the Pakistani government has detained "hundreds" who had turned out to support the ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

"Hundreds of people have been arrested in Pakistan to prevent them attending a rally in support of the ousted chief justice, activists say."

When I read Musharraf's book, notwithstanding the passage quote above, I came away with a overall sense that he was an honest, intellectually and morally capable leader. I read with interest his exploits in the Army and his brushes with death, such as being in an airplane crash and the target of several assassination attempts. I also was struck with his commitment to a democratic Pakistan.

However, I am truly disappointed about Musharraf's lack of respect for the Pakistani courts and judges. This respect forms the basis for a rule of law, where an independent judiciary is free and unfettered to protect minority rights. Musharraf has sacked the Chief Justice and brought charges against him. Pakistan's lawyers have protested and as a consequence suffered arrests and beatings. (See my previous post on March 21, 2007.)