Here’s a post by Michael Dorf on his website ‘Dorf on Law’. He’s discussed President Bush’s comment that Musharraf hadn’t crossed the line and, in fact, done a great thing by releasing lawyers, judges, activists etc.
According to President Bush, Pervez Musharraf “has advanced democracy in Pakistan,” and not just a long time ago (like when he first seized power in a coup), but even recently. So said our Commander in Chief in an interview with ABC News yesterday. (Transcript here; video here). Here’s my favorite part of the interview:
CHARLES GIBSON: Is there a line he cannot cross, that he cannot cross, something that would go too far, where you might say to yourself, ‘OK, that’s enough?’
PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH: Well, he hasn’t crossed the line. As a matter of fact, I don’t think that, uh, he will cross any lines. I think he truly is somebody who believes in democracy. And he made a decision, we didn’t necessarily agree with his decision, to impose emergency rule, and I, my, hopefully he’ll get, get rid of the rule. Today I thought was a pretty good signal that he released thousands of people from jail.
I see, so if you jail judges, lawyers and journalists for opposing your efforts to assume all powers for yourself (uh, make that “your efforts to advance democracy”), then you haven’t crossed any lines, so long as you later release some of them. Continue reading ‘Crossed the Line by Michael Dorf’
Most of you may be aware that Javed Hashmi has been released by the SC following his life sentence for defaming the army. There were legal arguments presented by Mr Hashmi’s counsel on which the three-member bench relied, however it reassures a lot of Pakistanis that the balance had tilted in favour of justice. Very rarely have the people felt that their judiciary is indepedent in the face of military pressure; this is one of those times in Pakistan’s history.
