The Symbols
and the Custodians
By Dr. Ghayur Ayub
London, UK
People equate the
attack on the Supreme Court building by political
workers of Nawaz Sharif (by the way, they are
all sitting with present regime these days) with
the assault on the Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court by General Musharaf. There is a big difference
between the two.
A building is a symbol of an institution and the
chief executive is its custodian. Custodian is
pivotal as compared to the symbol because it is
the custodian who carries the symbol not the other
way round. For example, a custodian can sit on
a roadside and issue orders turning that spot
into symbol for that period in time.
So when some political workers took actions against
the symbol (the building) of Supreme Court, its
custodian (the then Chief Justice) took action
against the custodian (the then Prime Minister)
of the PM Secretariat and ordered him to appear
in front of him.
In the present scenario, a subservient army chief
(remember Musharaf symbolized himself as army
chief and chairs corps commanders meetings in
his uniform) called the custodian (CJ) of an independent
institution (SCP) and pressured him to resign.
By this unlawful act, he not only degraded a pivotal
custodian but the whole institution along with
him.
Nawaz Sharif as the custodian of one independent
institution did not insult the custodian of another
independent institution. Instead, he lawfully
appeared in front of him when called to do so.
General Musharaf did just the opposite and that’s
the difference between the two.
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