- The government need not go out of the way to meet challenges
Two widely disparate events came together to pose challenges to the government, However, as if these issues did not seem bad enough, the government devoted its time and energy, not to mention attention, to the moving of a reference to the Supreme Judicial Council at Mr Justice Waqar Seth’s judgement in the Musharraf high treason case. The events which deserved more attention from the government included heightened tension on the Line of Control as India ratcheted up the pressure there as a corollary of its steps to suppress protests against the Citizenship Act Amendment Act, and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) sent in a detailed request, 150 questions, for further information about Pakistan’s steps to implement its action plan to have its present grey-listing ended. The government’s response: having the Law Ministry begin the research necessary for filing the reference against Mr Justice Seth.
With Mr Justice Seth’s decision in the Musharraf high treason case delivered on Tuesday, the details of what should be done if General Musharraf was to die before being hanged have received enough condemnation to make any further action excessive. After all, if judges are expected to speak by their judgements alone, opinions of judgements, as expressed by common citizens, should be enough to provide a reply. Instead, the government is devoting energy to taking on the judge personally, not just appealing his judgement (which it also intends to do).
The government is faced with immediate challenges, like the threat of war, and the threat of ending up on the FATF blacklist. Perhaps dealing with those issues is too difficult for the government, as both would create difficulties among vested interests. It might seem easier to go after a judge who has already come under severe castigation for his unorthodox view of how to treat someone guilty of high treason. The government needs to remind itself that it was elected to serve the people of Pakistan, and it should proceed to do so.