10 comments A special truck customized to represent the illegal prison run by the US Army at Guantanamo Bay is seen to be en route to Islamabad along with the Long March. Some student volunteers were rallied across various student networks to join on the float as mock prisoners.
Catch the Live updates of the Long March at PkLongMarch.blogspot.com
8 comments There will be protests in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on Thursday, May 8th 2008 for the immediate restoration of the deposed judges and for purging the judiciary free from the PCO inductees and conspirators of the Nov 3rd coup. Please come to the protest in whichever city you are based in and also inform all your friends in Pakistan.
The battle for the judiciary will go on. AZAAD ADLIYA KO BAHAAL KERO!
Karachi
Parking area in front of Rahat Milk Corner, Khadda Market
6:15 – 7: 30 pm
Walk to the legal CJ of SHC, Justice Sabiuddin’s house
Lahore
Outside the PPP Secretariat, 25-A, Faisal Town (near FAST)
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Candlelight vigil and peaceful protest.
Islamabad
Outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Constitution Avenue
5:30 – 6: 30 pm
Candlelight vigil and peaceful protest
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16 comments 
I share with you a very heart touching article written by Anwar Mansuri and Munawer Azeem for DAWN’s Crime Diary. I suggest everyone to take the time to read this summarized reproduction of Umar Deen‘s suicide note. I fear this is just the tip of the ice-berg unless immediate drastic measures are not taken to bring our people out of the crushing economy things are bound to get worse. It is sad to see our endless list of corrupt leaders whitewash their own millions of dollars of debt while and sadly this poor Pakistani could not meet his commitment for the Rs. 80,000 loan he needed to make ends meet basically to survive
The image attached is written and signed by Umar Deen himself ‘Watan Ki Mitti Gawah Rahna [Bear Witness With Me Dear Motherland]’ and finally he wraps up his note with a touching statement I know my suicide will not bring any revolution in the country but it must not go waste. Let us, as citizens of Pakistan, promise him to not let his suicide go waste.
Published in DAWN on 9th April 2008
Last Friday an ice-cream vendor, Umar Deen, committed suicide by shooting himself at Aabpara chowk, Islamabad’s busiest and oldest landmark. Next day’s newspapers reported routinely that financial problems had driven him to the desperate act.
And that was the end of the sad story for the society. But should it be?
Umar, 28, left behind a pretty long suicide note titled Watan Ki Mitti Gawah Rehna (Bear Witness With Me Dear Motherland). Dawn is publishing excerpts from this testimony of a self-respecting youngman against a callous world. Written at leisure and with emotion, but not bitterness, the note has two parts — one addressed to his family and the other to the society. A matriculate, Umar apparently planned to take his life in front of the Parliament House as mentioned on the opening page of his suicide note book which he begins with seeking forgiveness from his mother for his act.
After a few Urdu couplets, reflecting the hard life he had lived, and decided to end, he writes an imaginary verdict which reads: “The court of Islamic Republic of Pakistan finds accused Umar Deen, alias Mazhar Iqbal (Umar Udas), guilty of not paying the money he owed to usurers and for living in worst of conditions and, rejecting all his mercy appeals, sentences him to death”.
As if he wanted it to be the last such sentence, Umar ended the verdict with the words: “The court is adjourned”.
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18 comments 
Ansar Burney completed his tenure as the first ever caretaker minister of human rights. During his four months stint in the Ministry of Law, Burney worked hard tirelessly for providing a safe passage for suspected and convicted enemies of Pakistan while completely disregarding Pakistanis. He even went a step further by actively trying to dissuade Pakistanis from fighting for their own rights. As this article will show, Burney’s work would make any Indian proud of him and hence he will be referred more appropriately as Burney (Singh). Continue Reading
11 comments The text of the draft prepared for Nawaz Sharif and Asif Ali Zardari by Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim for the restoration of the pre-Nov 3rd Judges
(DRAFT RESOLUTION)
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PAKISTAN
WHEREAS, We the elected representatives of the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan acknowledge and honor the long and arduous struggle for the return to democracy and rule of law by the legal fraternity, civil society and the ordinary citizens of our beloved country.
AND WHEREAS, We pay tribute to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and thousands of brave political activists across the country who made the ultimate sacrifice and laid down their lives or suffered imprisonment for the cause of restoration of parliamentary democracy and the rule of law in Pakistan. We shall not let their sacrifices go in vain.
AND WHEREAS, this Assembly is mindful that the foundation of democracy cannot survive without a return to the rule of law. We are mindful, that the rule of law cannot survive the rule of the gun unless we have an independent judiciary. And, we are cognizant that we shall never have an independent judiciary if the Judges of the Superior Court’s of this country are imprisoned at the whims of a lone individual.
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Comments Off on CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry to be freed on Tuesday after 5 months and 13 days of House Arrest It is being reported in The News that once the new Prime Minister takes office i.e on Tuesday 25th March the first order of business would most likely be to free the Deposed Chief Justice Mr. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry after Musharraf kept in under house arrest for over five months and 13 days.
The security forces deployed in front of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry’s house in the Judges Enclave in Islamabad will be removed on Tuesday evening, marking the symbolic end of an era when absolute power was enjoyed by one man for eight years, five months and 13 days. Power practically will be shifted to the democratically-elected prime minister on March 25, sources in the Pakistan People’s Party confirmed to The News on Sunday. According to the senior leader of the lawyers’ movement, Justice (retd) Tariq Mehmud, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, after being released from his five-month-long detention by President Pervez Musharraf, will remain at his home for three to four days and will meet visitors. Afterwards, Justice Chaudhry may travel to any city, if invited to address a bar council, Tariq said
3 comments Guest Blog by Amjad Malik (blog)
Previous Article of the series : Silent Revolution – 1
My brief visit to Pakistan in March was welcomed by suicidal blast in Lahore FIA building and farewell attack in Islamabad restaurant resulting several deaths and injuries which pose a serious question of law an order situation in Pakistan where some ordinary citizens still believe that its more of self created problem and may be some agencies involved in it. Opinion is divided which is fatal for Pakistan as govt of the day has failed to send a message across the gravity of situation where unknown sophisticatedly armed men are willing to die with hundred others to score some political point, is it a revenge or the foreign invasion of different kind. It may be the failure of Musharraf regime to properly advocate in favour of their ill thought policies which are back firing. As a nation Pakistanis are not trained to an extent where they can stop any danger coming towards the state in fact, we all awake when the water is above the danger threshold, and nationalism is no where seen in Pakistan and alas Qauid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah is confined to portraits and ceremonial status. His sayings and doings are hardly remembered in particular by our rulers. If they are acted upon from the beginning or even now, we would not be in the mess we are currently in.
12th May massacre showed the tendency of rulers to an extent they may go to suppress lawful drive for constitutionalism in Pakistan, however, the way nation behaved over the tragic death of late Be Nazir burning their own train stations, looting banks and blowing businesses and damaging properties is a worrying sign for the flag carriers of federation. We need to knit ourselves to one nation without caring our geographical heritage or regional location in order to combat the 21st century war of information. Of course, language can play an important and integral part in carrying the message and none other than Urdu could be used to broadcast national message which may be understood by all as if you speak in foreign language how can you convey your message in a borrowed language. I would go one step further and would recommend national disciplinary service to train the whole nation towards rule of law & basic defence drive so that we as a nation start to learn respecting the law of the land.
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Comments Off on March 10th: Black Flag Week Events Karachi
Lahore
Islamabad:
Comments Off on Black Flag Week activities in UK Reported by Rabia Zia
On March 9 2008 in front of the High Commission of Pakistan, London, the Pakistani community in the UK responded to the call of the Supreme Court Bar Association to show solidarity with the lawyers movement in Pakistan to restore judiciary and to ask Musharraf to step down immediately with Go Musharraf Go chanting. This is as mandated by the people of Pakistan based on the result of the recent elections.ÂÂ
There was also a clear demand for immediate release of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and others who are under house arrest and strong condemnation of violence used against the lawyers, civil society activists, students, political party members in Islamabad today who were trying to meet with the Chief Justice. In the protest today, we had representation from the civil society including students, UK Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and Justice for Pakistan, Sibghat Kadri QC, political parties ie PPP, PML-N, PTI etc.ÂÂ
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Comments Off on Islamabad Rally Tear Gassed and Lathi-charged Reports are coming in that the Black Flag Week Rally in Islamabad was lathi charged and heavily tear gassed
As reported on Dawn
Police fired teargas at supporters of the country’s sacked chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, protesting outside his official residence in Islamabad on Sunday, witnesses said. The protestors, including lawyers, political party workers and civil society activists, were stopped by riot police at the barbed barricade erected outside the residence of deposed supreme court chief justice. Later, police fired teargas at the protestors to disperse them and both sides threw stones at each other, an AFP photographer said. The protestors wanted to march towards Chaudhry’s residence and present him with flowers but police stopped them, he said. The hide and seek and intermittent clashes between the police and the judges supporters continued till late in the afternoon. Lawyers across Pakistan Sunday began the observance of “Black Flag Week to press for Chaudhry’s reinstatement. President Pervez Musharraf sacked Chaudhry on March 9 last year on misconduct charges but the Supreme Court reinstated him in July. In November Musharraf again sacked Chaudhry and other judges under emergency rule, fearing they might disqualify him for contesting presidential election while being army chief and president at the same time. Chaudhry and his family have been living under house arrest at the official residence in judges colony in a heavily-guarded government residential area of Islamabad since November. Pakistan’s incoming government coalition partners Sunday said that the new parliament would reinstate the sacked judges
1 comment 
March 8th marks the celebration of the International Womens Day worldwide, in Pakistan women have done some hard work to be considered at par with the men of society, probably their most notable event remains the protest of Feb 12th 1982 where women were brutally attacked by the state machinery (aka Zia-ul-Haq), that day is probably the ‘unofficial’ Women’s Day in Pakistan.
I share with you an article [unedited version] written by Beena Sarwar in Dawn on 3rd March 2008
Here comes that day again, the one dedicated to women all over the world, March 8, International Women’s Day. In Pakistan, we observe our own unofficial Women’s Day every February 12 since the watershed rally in 1983 organised by the Punjab Women Lawyers Association in Lahore. Sadly, the symbolism of this demonstration is still relevant: it was a protest against Gen. Ziaul Haq’s law of evidence that reduced the testimony of women in court to half that of men; like many other laws the general imposed, it remains in our statute books.
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2 comments Received from AH Nayyar on the People’s Resistance network
The hunger strike by two leaders of Awami Jamhoori Ittehad in Islamabad has now entered the third day. Iqbal Bali and Jahangir Akhter have been on hunger strike to protest the illegal incarceration of the children of Chief Justice Iftikhar. They are sitting in a camp in front of the Marriott Hotel, Islamabad, near the Judges colony, and have vowed to end their strike only at the hands of Justice Iftikhar’s youngest son, Balach.
Today, they marched with other protesters to the police barrier at the entrance to the judges colony, and unsuccessfully tried to cut the heavy roll of barbed wires. Even a jeep could not pull the wires away. The protesters remained at the barrier for over an hour, raising slogans. Yesterday, Justice retired Tariq Mahmood visited the camp, stayed with the protesters for quite some time, and addressed the gathering.
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4 comments 
This session with Barrister Qazi Faez Isa was recorded a few weeks back on January 25th when he came to Shirkat Gah, Karachi on the invitation of Peoples Resistance & The Green Economics & Globalization Initiative to talk about the political issues related to the constitution of Pakistan. Its been over a month but even now since the elections this discussion with Qazi Faez Isa is still worth listening to but mind you this was recorded before the elections.
I think the most important part of his talk is when he sheds light on the ‘less talked about’ issue of the Islamabad High Court and its implications on the people of Pakistan. It seems that the Islamabad High Court issue has been snuck under the table amidst the political chaos which ensued in the latter part of December, and an issue equally as important as the restoration of Judiciary
[audio:Faez_Isa.mp3]
or
Download the MP3 (27MB) [download#5]
3 comments Guest Blog by Amjad Malik
What goes around, comes around was a phrase I heard in my childhood and the fate of our outgoing political machinery is pitiful as they are still conspiring, aspiring and dreaming of forming government by hook or crook despite the fact that air is against them, and they do not find any space in the ranks of opposition, and people of Q like a salt are diluting in the political waters of Pakistan as they have no roots in the masses on their own. They are a tribe which never go to jail and is always ready to switch sides at eleventh hour. Those who were claiming to elect a serving General ten times in uniform to the slot of president are biting their nails and the mandate is clear, in comes the chief justice and out goes the President.
Public have spoken once again, and they cheered loudly that its democracy they prefer. Once again mandate has been given to parties holding roots in the masses and we are once again at a crossroad yet again, to respect that mandate and save the integrity and sovereignty of the country or repeat our mistakes like 70s. We must learn from the mistakes of past when we lost Dhaka shamefully, we daringly are willing to repeat such mistakes. I have been depicting the core of our problems one of which is that we never nip the evil in the bud and we always try to move forward pragmatically without caring the fall outs on state. Hamood ur Rehman commission was quick to depict our weaknesses earlier in 70s and it tried to put our future straight but we withheld that report for decades which should have been part and parcel of our learning process. I would quote only few relevant paragraphs just to give a glimpse to show how familiar the scene was then, and even now, and I pose a question when will we learn.
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5 comments 
Avaaz.org, a very active global online movement with a simple democratic mission has recently petitioned online users to support its campaign to promote democracy in Pakistan. You can participate in either signing the petition which stands at ~84,000 signatures (goal of 150,000) or even contribute to the publication of this full page ad in The News ($10,623 or equivalent to Rs. 648,000)
The people of Pakistan have overcome violence & rigging to cast a clear vote for civilian democracy. 75% want President Musharraf to go. But things are tense: Musharraf hints he could dismiss the new parliament and Western powers are still propping him up.
The Pakistani people have cast an undeniable vote for change. If they are betrayed, chaos could follow. Let’s back them with big advertisements (see right) in Pakistan’s The News, a respected broadsheet read by politicians, ambassadors and generals alike. The ad’s centerpiece is our petition calling for democracy to be supported not undermined – please sign the petition to help Pakistan’s democrats, or give a donation to help fund the ad
SIGN or CONTRIBUTE to the AVAAZ PETITION HERE
I also attach here a copy of their email to all their active supporters sent a few days back
