When they started off from Multan it was not a pleasant site. The participants of the Long March were not many in numbers. Scorching heat, fear of a terror attack and uncountable other such factors must have worked to stop as many from participating as was possible. But it was a dismal sight. Where were all those elements of the society who had vowed to stand with lawyers for the restoration of judiciary? No one had any clue.
Seeing off the marching lawyers in Multan I had thought that just like the previous travels of the supporters of the deposed Chief Justice this caravan would take quite a while to reach Islamabad. But that was only an incorrect perception. Before long the marchers were meeting in front of the parliament and the Supreme Court. And unlike Multan they were in great numbers. Now an old fear was returning to me. Could it be the end of times for Pakistan? Could these people paralyze the entire system? Could this be the start of the civil war? The mood in the air at least indicated that it was. As people started chanting slogan I could smell the bloodthirst.
But that was that. Apart from the speech of Nawaz Sharif who is again losing sight of the moderation and those silly and young PTI workers that tried to run on the presidency and the parliament there was nothing to worry. The lawyers certainly knew how to regulate themselves. When the PTI boys tried to cross the barbed wires to reach the parliament it was the lawyers who dragged them back. There was no sit in. Just a huge gathering and show of power. It was great to know that the lawyers were not falling for the eerie world view of Imran Khan and Qazi Hussain Ahmed. They were not staging a sit in. Both these gents want the parliament to be sent packing. They hope that once the system is rubbished and new elections take place the agencies will help in the re-establishment of the IJI (Islami Jamhoori Ittihad – the agency sponsored alliance of the conservatives) and hence pave their way to the parliament. That is exactly why the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf workers are joining in the Muslim League propaganda against the Pakistan People’s Party and its Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari.
With friends like these who needs an enemy. Take Mr Nawaz Sharif for instance. He has forgotten that it was Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who had advocated for his return to the country as well. It was she who had convinced him not boycott the elections when he was on the verge of committing political suicide with the counsel of Qazi and co. He has even forgotten that it was the same Zardari who convinced him not to boycott the elections after the assassination of Miss Bhutto. The very same man who refused to deny him the rightful rule in Punjab by rebuffing the Q-league’s offer of help in government formation. If Zardari is taking time in bringing the promised changes it is because he is enduring terrible pressures from the local and foreign establishments. Also the party has had quite an experience of persecution at the hands of the judiciary and hence wants to tread very carefully.
But here is the warning shot. The People’s Party leadership needs to wake up to the realities of life. It is a victim of double jeopardy. Its friends and foes particularly from Punjab and upper Sindh are united to finish it off. They think that in the absence of Mohtarma Bhutto People’s Party can easily be belittled and reduced to nothingness. It is the party’s responsibility to fight such demons and survive. If anything the long march has already shown that the people want change in the presidency and that the issue of the restoration of judiciary cannot be hushed up. Aitzaz Ahsen, Justice (retired) Tariq and the deposed Chief Justice have already shown that they are far more responsible than the government’s unelected advisers. The way Barrister Ahsen and others managed the culmination of the long march remains salutary. Likewise the fact that the Chief Justice did not show up in the final even reminds us that he still is trying to remain apolitical. These men and others like them need to be trusted and honored.
There is a principle of politics that none of us can ignore. Democracy is the politics of the people. The People’s Party has quite effectually shown everyone that it wants restoration of judiciary without any big conflict. But it should know that its loyalty essentially lies with the popular sentiments. Any misjudgment of the popular issues can lead just anyone to the oblivion. If the party fails to take stock of the situation correctly it may fail to benefit from the wave of public trust for the politicians. If anything it needs to realize that the people really want the judges’ issue to be resolved at once so that some attention can be given to other matters. I am not saying that the government should lose it composure and assail whatever stability remains in the country. However it should remember that those who are advising it to keep delaying the matter for quite sometime are actually working against it. It has to be resolved at once or else the party suffers from great image particularly in Punjab. Meanwhile the propaganda mill is in spin already. Anyone in Punjab who has voted for any party other than the PPP now tries to allege the party leadership for the assassination of Ms Bhutto.  This is ridiculous. The party needs to rush to silence such folks through scoring some important brownie points through action and not mere words. The restoration of judges through a fast paced constitutional package and replacement of those unelected advisers who have actually causing unpopularity of the party (most important of these folks if Mr Rahman Malik) would do the party quite good. Otherwise it will remain in a state of suspended animation and lose track of things and perhaps its own popularity. As someone who is sentimental about the future of the party and the preservation of the moderate class in the country this is a heart felt appeal. Change should be visible to the people so that the popular appeal of those who are playing on the sentiments of people can be done away with. We can be fickle minded but we are not so fickle minded. We should remember that while Nawaz Sharif’s current position is brave and a bit impressive it was he who had attacked the Supreme Court and the freedom of press during his rule. The party needs to snatch from him the leadership of the pro-judiciary movement and regain the lost ground. An alliance with him however needs to be continued because the options are even worse.

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