January 6 and April 3
January 6, 2021 witnessed an unprecedented event in the American history. Several thousand supporters of Donald Trump, still the American President, gathered near the White House to march on the US Capitol to cause something big enough to disrupt a joint sitting of Congress that was to formalise Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 Presidential Election. Trump’s supporters claimed that the elections were rigged in favour of Biden and demanded of then Vice President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the Congress session, not to certify Biden’s victory.
Urged by Trump to “fight like hell … [or] you’re not going to have a country anymore”, the rioters breached into the Capitol building and attacked Congress members present inside. Trump’s supporters created violent scenes, resulting in the deaths of seven people, including one police officer, and injuries to more than 150 police officers. But while Trump’s supporters did cause a huge disruption, they failed in their bid to shake a democratic tradition – peaceful transfer of power – that has stood for more than two centuries.
And now a nine-member congressional panel is investigation this mob assault on the US Capital. The panel, in its first public hearing this past Thursday, has charged Trump with an “attempted coup” to remain in power, on the pretext of a stolen election. Panel chairman Bennie Thompson believes the violence resulted from a “sprawling, multistep conspiracy aimed at overturning the election” and Trump was at the centre of the plot. The panel, which has interviewed about one thousand witnesses, will hold a couple of more public hearings, with a final report are expected in the fall.
A part form the parliamentary panel, the Justice department is also carrying out criminal investigations into the January 6, 2021 assault. In Pakistan, unfortunately, the institutions are shying away from fully addressing the April 3 dismissal of the no-trust vote by the Deputy Speaker against ex-PM Imran Khan and subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly by the President which came in a clear breach of the Constitution.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2022.
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