When Arsalan Iftikhar takes the stand before the Supreme Court on charges of alleged corruption, 180 million will watch in the hopes that justice may be served. Hanging in the balance is not just the reputation of the honourable Court, Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chauhdry or his son, but the dreams and aspirations of all those who live in the hope of a better Pakistan, despite being disappointed on numerous occasions by a system that rewards the corrupt and punishes the just.
Our media moguls, the masters of spin, have already started obfuscating the case by switching the focus of the public discourse to a supposed conspiracy hatched to trap Arsalan. If the sinister forces of darkness implemented a plan to drag an honest man’s name through the mud, then they deserve to be punished. But before we begin hunting for those who hatched this cunning plan, let us first establish that the man who stands accused is indeed innocent. It must be proven that no money, gifts or foreign trips were granted or accepted with the promise of gaining undue favour from any public office. All other matters are secondary.
If it is proven that Arsalan was trapped to malign his father and that he is indeed guilty of accepting bribes, then let us pity him for his gullibility. But let us also urge the Court to prosecute him for his blatant violation of the law. For too long, the sons and daughters of the rich and powerful have usurped the rights of the deserving. There have always been those who got seats in medical schools although they did not deserve to be there; won contracts that they were not entitled to or got jobs they were not qualified for. Left behind are those who might have toiled in earnest but did not have the good fortune of having a judge, general, minister or a media tycoon for a parent. Disappointed, disillusioned and on board a plane to fairer climes are those who have nothing but hard work and talent at their disposal. We have lost our brightest minds and most upstanding individuals because our society shields the sins of the mighty and ridicules the righteous.
The triumph of corruption over honesty and the victory of power over truth has skewed the moral foundations of this country. Success has become dependent on who you know, who you can coerce, who you fool and who stands by to protect you. The case of Arsalan Iftikhar can set this moral imbalance right. In judging this case with fairness, the judges can restore the faith of the citizens in the judiciary. They can prevent us from raising our children as thieves, arrest our moral decline and subsequently, restore the national honour we hold so dear.
The people of this country took to the streets in order to restore the judiciary because they believed that these judges would usher in a new era of justice. I hope that the honourable justices, in judging Arsalan Iftikhar, will not forget the trust that the citizens have placed in the system. This judiciary has set a precedent like no bench of justices before — to have zero tolerance for corruption. They call to book those believed to be corrupt, regardless of their office or power. This indiscriminate dispensation of justice has won this judiciary the hearts and approval of the common people. If they fail to exercise that impartiality now, when one near and dear stands accused, they stand to lose their credibility in the eyes of the people from whom (and the Constitution) they derive their power and moral authority.
I hope the judges will remember that hearing this case with impartiality and transparency is about restoring the faith of 180 million Pakistanis in the rule of law, justice, hard work and fair play.
Published In The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2012.
COMMENTS (11)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
Great article Sehar. Fully agree with you. About time things start to change in this country.
The author decides to praise those who appear less than clean, no matter what, and says, "This indiscriminate dispensation of justice has won this judiciary the hearts and approval of the common people. " ------- Is that a joke that's not even funny or an outright insult to our common sense?
@Sehar
Nice piece Sehar.
Keep up the good work.
Samuel Johnson famously said, " An injustice anywhere, is an injustice everywhere".
Arsalan Iftikhar case is simple. If found guilty , he ought to be dealt with in accordance with the prescribed law, irrespective of his pedigree.
Our unfortunate country has already bled more than its share, at the hands of the vultures of vested interests, extremism, corruption, intolerance, illiteracy, social injustice and lack of courage to bring about revolutionary and long term changes. It can hardly afford any more misadventure.
So keeping the fingers crossed, and praying with ya Sehar, as a fellow countrymen, who can claim to b concerned.
HASAN ABIDI hasanwazir1@gmail.com
he is totally fallen.
@OS: I disagree. I think human heros are respectable and a source of inspiration primarily because of the same reason you have brought up, they are prone to error and complacency like the rest of us, but they choose to be different.
I remember reading your personal blog last year and I remember admiring you intelligence and your style of writing very much. Good to see you writing for ET. I read a blog on ET a couple of months ago in which you had been mentioned. ( you were a speaker at a tedx event ) With your intelligence and potential, you're destined for greatness. All the best !
Here is our problem: We take human beings and turn them into infallible heroes. It is always black and white for us. And then we are heart broken when the hero just turns out to be another imperfect human being. Just like there should be no military or political sacred cows in Pakistan, there should also be no judicial sacred cows. Fact of life is that you either die early as a hero or live long enough to become a villian. We need to be realistic as a nation.
well written piece. proud to know that a Pakistani citizen speaks that clearly.
What happened to Musharraff's reference against CJ? please research and study this subject, a lot to learn about abuse of power on both sides from that episode and will help put things in perspective here too.
You have expressed the wishes of many. Thank you. I disagree with you on the question of credibility of the judiciary. In my view this was lost many decades ago and it only now that they are fighting to restore it. The need for success in this can not be over emphasised.