Drama, violence, tears and fears at candidates nomination

[Awesome]

Associated Press of Pakistan - Six including Musharraf validated to contest Presidential Election

ISLAMABAD, Sep 29 (APP): The Election Commission of Pakistan Saturday validated six candidates including President Pervez Musharraf as candidates for October 6 Presidential Election, finding their nomination papers in order.

“All the 17 nomination papers of Pervez Musharraf are in order and are accepted,” Chief Election Commissioner Justice ® Qazi Muhammad Farooq announced after hearing the objections from three opposition-backed candidates.

Lawyers for PPPP candidate Amin Fahim, MMA and lawyers-backed Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed and for Faryal Talpur raised numerous objections regarding Pervez Musharraf’s holding dual office, contesting election in uniform, not fulfilling promises made to nation and failure to fulfil certain articles of the Constitution.

Latif Khosa, Farooq Naik and Hamid Khan representing their respective candidates before the CEC pleaded that they had sufficient grounds to claim that President Musharraf did not qualify for the election for the office of president.

Representing President Musharraf, Wasim Sajjad pleaded that President was validated to hold dual office by the Supreme Court and the Parliament till November 15, 2007.

“And he has already announced to shed uniform soon after he is elected as President,” Wasim Sajjad reiterated.

He said in view of the Constitutional provisions and legislation by the Parliament on this matter, the arguments of the opposition lawyers carried no weight.

“The case is very clear when seen in view of the amendments in the Constitution and the legislation by the Parliament,” he argued.

The Chair after hearing arguments from all the sides accepted all the 17 nomination papers of President Pervez Musharraf and five other candidates.

The CEC also accepted five nominations for Chaudhry Amir Hussain, two for Muhammadmian Soomro and three each for Amin Fahim, Justice ® Wajihuddin and Faryal Talpur.

The opposition goes to get beaten up by our jungli police these days so they can play the victim. Our police is brutal, they will save their jobs at all costs and prevent rioters from tearing down a government building. Excessive force was indeed used, but there shouldn't have been a riot in the first place.

Five other candidates were accepted. CEC wasn't going to overrule the SC just because they pleaded one last time for barring Musharraf.

 

[Awesome]

http://afp.google.com/media/ALeqM5jrACjrwwg3Q1G72QRvILpzhHnBMQ?size=m
http://afp.google.com/media/ALeqM5h7sQ7mGM5FboLSVwNlnjK03cbG9A?size=m
http://afp.google.com/media/ALeqM5hKoqTKJ_1qVVxjv1eoRzAfIm0hIQ?size=m

 

[Moin91]

Sunday, September 30, 2007
By Shamim Bano

l Complete boycott of courts tomorrow against use of state force l District and Sessions Judge orders police to clear area around City Courts l Magistrates appointed to raid police stations to locate detainees

Karachi

As lawyers protested on Saturday against General Pervez Musharraf’s candidacy for re-election as president and wanted to stage a sit-in outside the City Courts against the manhandling of protesting lawyers in Islamabad, police in Karachi lobbed teargas shells and used batons against them.

The lawyers staged protests across the country a day after the Supreme Court turned down petitions against Gen Musharraf’s bid for a new five-year term, while the personnel of law-enforcement agencies beat the lawyers and bundled them into police mobiles, which were deployed around the courts for the last two days to tackle any untoward incident. The lawyers were arguing that Gen Musharraf was ineligible to run for president’s slot because he has retained his Army post.

Scenes of chaos were witnessed on the barricaded Lewis Road as LEA personnel and protesting lawyers clashed. While police lobed teargas shells and baton-charged the lawyers who pelted the LEAs with rocks, a couple of lawyers and a media photographer sustained injuries, while at least six of the lawyers were dragged into a police van.

The clashes continued for more than an hour, and, according to K.K. Javed advocate, the lawyers were being deliberately targeted.

Meanwhile, an active member of KBA and SHCBA Salahuddin Gundapur was pummelled and taken into custody by police while he was coming out of the court premises after filing an application in the court of the District South for the release of lawyers. Other arrested lawyers include Saeed Qureshi, Sohail Noori and Raja Fardad.

District and Sessions Judge (South) Nisar Ahmed Shaikh, after admitting the application regarding release of arrested lawyers, ordered the police to clear the entire area around the City Courts and appointed magistrates to conduct raids at police stations to find out where these lawyers were detained.

A number of police officials along with SHOs of different police stations had sealed the court of District South, as they wanted to arrest lawyers who they believed were inside the court.

In response to Pakistan Bar Council’s call (PBC), the Karachi Bar Association (KBA) has also announced a complete boycott and strike on Monday against the use of state force against lawyers.

According to the programme, the legal fraternity will completely boycott the court proceedings on the day, while KBA has convened a general body meeting to finalise strategy for continuing protest till October 6 - the election day for the president’s slot.

Speaking at the general body meeting, KBA General Secretary Naeem Qureshi said that if the rule of law has to prevail, the election commission of Pakistan should not allow a serving general to contest the presidential election.

The lawyers were of the unanimous view that they would challenge the nomination of Gen Musharraf in election commission as well as Supreme Court. “We had already demanded for a full bench hearing in the reference against dual offices as we had been apprehending such a verdict,” they said. They alleged that two judges of the seven-member bench were corrupt while one judge was made hostage to get the favourable decision.

Rejecting the SC decision, Salahuddin Gundapur said that the verdict should have been in favour of people, adding, “We do not accept this ruling as it has breached the people’s trust”. Mehmood-ul-Hassan, former secretary KBA, said that the use of force against lawyers has proved that the government was weak, as it has opened all fronts, including media, against it.

Meanwhile, lawyers observed black day and boycotted proceedings in all the courts of the city. The personnel of law-enforcement agencies barricaded the newly-named Raja Riaz Road, while heavy contingents of police were deployed around the City Courts.

 

[Lahori paa jee]

 

[Awesome]

Idiots, charging into the CEC... What else did they expect?

Our police is brutal. Their leaders wanted this to happen...

 

[Always Neutral]

Note of dissent ‘a call of conscience’: Bhagwandas -DAWN - Top Stories; September 30, 2007

Note of dissent ‘a call of conscience’: Bhagwandas




By Azfar-ul-Ashfaque

KARACHI, Sept 29: Mr Justice Rana Bhagwandas of the Supreme Court has said that he recorded his dissent from the majority verdict on petitions against Gen Pervez Musharraf holding two offices on the call of conscience.

Talking to journalists after a programme organised by the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST) on Saturday, he said that he had annulled the act regarding the holding of two offices by Gen Musharraf.

Justice Bhagwandas headed the nine-judge larger bench which gave a majority (six-three) verdict on Friday, dismissing the petitions challenging the holding of dual offices by Gen Musharraf.

He was among the three judges who held that the petitions were maintainable.

When asked if he thought that in the current state of affairs people would like to study law, he said with a smile: “This is a disputed question.”

Addressing new students and fresh law graduates of the SZABIST, he said that the functioning of the state and the government had been described in the Constitution. “Constitution is supreme and all other pillars of state work under it. Any law or any administrative decision which is against the Constitution is annulled.”

He said the legal profession was regarded as the most noble profession.

He urged the students and the graduates to uphold the solemnity of the legal profession and resist the trend of commercialisation.

SZABIST Vice-Chancellor Javed Leghari, British Council’s project director Mashhood

Rizvi and Justice (retd) Hazar Khan Khoso also addressed the gathering.

 

[Awesome]

His colleague, Javed Iqbal (son of Allama Iqbal), stated that the loophole was granted to Musharraf by many of the politicians who are lobbying against him. They voted for him and granted him the 2/3rd majority which he needed. He has the right to remain President and Army Chief till the 15th of November. The constitution, the SC can't do anything about it. For the 2/3rd majority reigns supreme over all.

 

[Bull]

I luved it. Advocates are playing a double game, they welcomed the court's ruling on chowdary, now they oppose the same court's ruling on Mushraff. They are doing exactly what they accused Mushraff off.

 

[Bull]

Mushraff suhd come down heavy on them and make it look like a 'Advocates Vs Court' stand off.

Btw what sick slogan is that..' Go Mushraff Go' are they cheering him?

 

[Awesome]

Mushraff suhd come down heavy on them and make it look like a 'Advocates Vs Court' stand off.

Btw what sick slogan is that..' Go Mushraff Go' are they cheering him?

Rana Bhagwan Das spoke at my university a coupla days ago. He pointed out that he was against letting Musharraf go, and we should've at least tried the case and accepted the petitions. He was one of the judges who voted against Musharraf.

But he also pointed out his resentment towards the lawyers. He encouraged students to take up law very seriously. He even went far enough to mentions something like "In Pakistan students first try to become either a doctor or an engineer, and when they don't make it there, then they consider Law".

Basically that means the lawyers are pretty much rejects from other professions . It's not like these lawyers are some very noblemen fighting for justice here. These are the same men who have taken bribes, thrown cases, defended total scums, concocted evidence and so on.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

^^ Very true. Now if they were fighting for either changes in the constitution, or a new constitution altogether, to get rid of some of the more intolerant aspects that have been incorporated into it over the years, they might have my support. But they would rather "fight" for the "supremacy" of a document that allows for "blasphemers" to be put to death.

 

[roadrunner]

Wonder where all these brave, blood soaked, noble champion lawyers of Pakistan were when the Hudood was in place during the years of civilian administrations.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Wonder where all these brave, blood soaked, noble champion lawyers of Pakistan were when the Hudood was in place during the years of civilian administrations.

Ahh didn't you know? It isn't very pragmatic and fun to "fight" against regimes that will flog, jail or kill you for voicing opposition to barbaric and medieval laws.

It's much easier to oppose the "rule flouting benevolent dictator" who mostly "plays by the rules".

A "violation of our fundamental rights!" they chant - pray tell, wither where the "fundamental rights" of countless women imprisoned for the "sin" of seeking justice for being violated?

The "fundamental rights" of academia and common man, imprisoned or lynched for voicing thoughts deemed "blasphemous"?

Let us first win the "fundamental right" to live! Free of oppression, tyranny and prejudice - Muslim, Hindu and Atheist alike!

More important than suffrage, I deem, that "right".