The Saturday Night Massacre
By Perwaiz Ahmad
Fullerton, CA
While announcing the imposition of the State of Emergency on Saturday, November 3, General Musharraf quoted American president Abraham Lincoln's speech to justify his actions but he forgot the fact that when the Supreme Court of the United States of America ruled against Lincoln's ban on "habeas corpus" during the bloodiest civil war on American soil, he was quick to rescind his Presidential Order. On the contrary and against all norms of civilized society, President Musharraf has dismissed the Supreme Court panel to ensure that the new judges issue orders that solidify his position, his actions, and plans to stay in power indefinitely. We are all familiar with the maxim "You can fool some of the people some of the time but you cannot fool all the people all the time". It pains me to mention it because unlike his predecessors, President Musharraf exudes an extremely frank down-to-earth persona, honest and sincere feelings towards his countrymen whenever he addresses them on TV or at congregations. His speeches, substance and delivery, are like the frank conversation of two common men. He does not mince words like seasoned politicians to make a point, his mannerism is simple compared to that of the late Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan or Gen Zia . People of Pakistan, like me, believed in him, had high hopes that this man is genuine and a true savior of Pakistan. But, alas, in the last twelve months Musharraf has failed to walk the talk or walk the walk. His belated actions or inactions on several occasions were hardly in conformity with his promises to bring Pakistan back on the road to democracy. The recent exponential surge in protests against the proclamation of the State of Emergency and the Provincial Constitutional Order (PCO) indicates that the masses are fed up with the state of affairs that has prevailed in the last 10 months. How many more years and Generals would it take to ensure a stable democratic process in Pakistan?
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