High noon

The government, the judges, the media and everyone involved must play due role in ensuring the stormy sea is calmed.

The late night drama of October 14, as 17-judges unexpectedly gathered to review reports of a possible government move to withdraw the March 2009 notification restoring judges, has put us all on edge. There was an element of nail-biting suspense for hours, as a special hearing into the issue was announced. The sense of theatre continued into Friday morning as judges sought an assurance that no such move was planned. The government has already denied the existence of any such scheme.

The whole business is a reminder of cowboy films of the past, involving dramatic shoot-outs, bitter rivalries and crazed excitement as guns are pulled out from holsters. However we should remember we live in a modern state, with certain rules of conduct in place. There should be no need for so much suspense. The sound and fury we are hearing seems unnecessary. The whole affair appears to have been built around media reports, with the question of whether any other evidence was available completely unclear. Everywhere in the world, the media has its own agenda – one of which is to keep people riveted to screens – and for this reason is not always the most reliable bearer of information.

What we need most of all is calm. The signs of panic we are seeing are damaging. They will only aid those seeking to use the situation for their own purposes, by igniting further mistrust between the judiciary and the executive. Many times in our history we have seen the consequences of institutions failing to stick to the roles assigned to them by the Constitution. What we need now, most of all, is composure. Temperatures need to be lowered. What our nation needs above all is stability. Otherwise it will not be able to overcome the various kinds of crises the country faces. The priority must be to address these issues. The government, the judges, the media and everyone else involved must play their due role in ensuring that the currently stormy sea is calmed and things can once more run along a smoother track.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2010.