Gilani also spoke about the need to avoid such a tempest and stressed that he would do all he personally could to protect democracy. We must hope he can succeed. The prime minister’s warning about how democracy, media freedom and a great deal else would suffer should any force march in through the back door is an important one. We hope it will be taken seriously by everyone — particularly those who seem ready to roll out the red carpet for those seeking to unseat the government.
The indications that the government may be prepared to sack some 70 NRO beneficiaries, some of them from key positions, marks an important step forward. The decision is a wise one and would certainly serve the purpose of implementing court orders in this regard. It is after all principle that matters and not individuals. The prime minister has spoken with considerable wisdom. Change for the sake of change hardly ever serves a purpose. We must now hope that those who have spoken so often of their commitment to democracy will do all they can to defend it at this moment of reckoning. If they fail we will know who to blame for any new misfortune that overtakes us.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 28th, 2010.
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