By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: Was it an attempt on the life of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry or a mere goof-up by the Islamabad traffic police?
Supreme Court Registrar Dr Faqir Hussain says that what had happened to the chief justice and his family on Monday night was something “highly unusual” that needs to be thoroughly investigated.
However, lawyers’ leader and former spokesman for the chief justice during his days of unconstitutional depositions Athar Minallah smelled a rat. He believed that the people’s chief justice was making certain strong circles uncomfortable and added that the facts of the event did not lead to the conclusion that it was just an accident.
“The people’s chief justice obviously makes strong circles uncomfortable,” Athar Minallah said without explaining which “strong circles” he was referring to but added: “The facts (of the incident) do not lead to the conclusion that it was just an accident.”
Talking to The News, he said: “There seems to be more to it that ought to be investigated thoroughly.”
When approached, SSP Islamabad Tahir Alam said the incident is being thoroughly investigated and all the necessary details about the traffic police officials involved in the incident are being gathered. Without offering any comment whether it was a mere accident as a result of the police goof up or a conspiracy to target the chief justice, he said a joint investigation team has been constituted by the Interior Ministry on Tuesday to probe the matter.
Regional Police Officer Rawalpindi Muhammad Aslam Tareen, when contacted, said: “Nothing could be ruled out.” He was surprised that how a traffic police inspector could block the VIP route when already the Islamabad police were duly informed about the arrival of the chief justice.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and his family members narrowly escaped what could have been a serious accident when an Islamabad traffic police vehicle suddenly was found blocking the way of the VIP motorcade.
As a result, over six vehicles, including five those in the motorcade, collided with each other, some even overturned. A daughter of the chief justice got minor injury while Justice Iftikhar and other members of his family remained secure.
When the motorcade entered the capital from the toll plaza near the Golra interchange it found an Islamabad traffic police vehicle parked horizontally in the middle of the road. According to one version, after the pilot vehicle of the motorcade had passed, the interrupting police vehicle was parked horizontally. The other version is that the pilot vehicle had avoided collision and so did the CJ’s car while the other vehicles could not spot the police vehicle and smashed into it. However, the fact remains that the police vehicle was blocking the VIP route.
Supreme Court Registrar Dr Faqir Hussain, when contacted, sounded worried about the accident but he was cautious in his response. He said that the police need to tell if it was an accident apparently on account of the negligence of the traffic police or something else.
He, however, said: “This is something highly unusual.” Dr Faqir, who was not willing to pre-judge the event, said the matter has to be thoroughly investigated to get to the truth.
After his restoration and for the kind of cases he is taking up and judgment handing down, the life of Justice Iftikhar is believed to be under threat from certain powerful quarters. Iftikhar Chaudhry, who had made many enemies from amongst the powerful elite of the country before Nov 3, 2007 by siding with the poor and downtrodden of the country and got deposed by Musharraf, is still making more enemies from the powerful elite. The Supreme Court’s decision to knock down the NRO has shocked many, whereas he has also taken up innumerable cases of corruption, loot and plunder of state’s wealth by a selected few.
Besides taking up the Bank of Punjab issue that involved Rs9 billion and exposed several powerful, the chief justice also took suo moto notice of the sale of the state-land in Karachi and Sindh on throwaway prices. The present Supreme Court had also cleansed the superior judiciary from over 100 PCO judges and others appointed on Dogar’s recommendations after Nov 3, 2007.
Some “top” lawyers of the country, who had multiplied their fortunes during the Dogar tenure, are also upset because of the corruption allegations levelled against them by some accused or petitioners.
Our correspondent adds: The office of the Attorney General for Pakistan on Tuesday directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad to thoroughly investigate the accident of motorcade of the chief justice of Pakistan and submit a report in this regard.
The motorcade of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry met an accident near the Islamabad motorway the other day.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was on his way to Islamabad from Lahore via motorway and the accident took place when his motorcade was hit by another vehicle coming from the opposite side immediately after leaving the Islamabad motorway, due to which vehicles of the caravan collided with each other - however fortunately, the chief justice and his family members did not sustain any injuries.
After the incident, Acting Attorney General for Pakistan Shah Khawar met Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and enquired about the whole incident.
“I have directed IGP Islamabad Syed Kaleem Imam to thoroughly investigate the matter, identifying the person whose negligence caused the incident to take place,” Shah Khawar told The News.
He said he has directed the IGP to evolve a new security plan after consultation with the chief justice of Pakistan and his office staff to avoid any untoward incident in future.
The acting attorney general directed the IGP to award stern punishment to the people held responsible for the incident and further directed to submit a progress report of the enquiry
Meanwhile, it was learnt that an investigation committee has been set up after the chief justice of Pakistan’s (CJP) motorcade met an accident. Two traffic policemen have reportedly been arrested, an in-charge inspector suspended and show-cause notice to the deputy superintendent of police (DSP) concerned has been issued. The injured were shifted to various hospitals and provided medical treatment.
Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry visited PIMS and Polyclinic hospitals and enquired after the health of his staff members injured in the accident.
Showing posts with label isi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label isi. Show all posts
No forward movement
By Ayesha Siddiqa:
On Wednesday, the Pakistan government formally charged the seven key suspects believed to be involved in last year’s Mumbai terror attacks.
This decision, which came on the eve of the first anniversary of the attacks, is a positive gesture from Islamabad and one which will probably help break the current logjam between India and Pakistan. The Indian government had linked the resumption of talks and the composite dialogue with forward movement in this regard.
The decision also comes in the wake of expanding allegations regarding Pakistan’s linkage with the Mumbai terror plot. Reportedly new evidence has been found in the David Headley case, in which a Chicago-based US citizen of Pakistani origin was found by the FBI to be involved in the planning of the Mumbai attacks. Headley and five other Pakistanis have been arrested abroad for their links with the attack and Lashkar-i-Taiba. There were two other Pakistanis resident in Italy who were also caught for providing funding for the Mumbai terror plot.
The discovery of new information and Islamabad’s decision might provide some temporary consolation to the relatives of the victims, but it would also make them highly suspicious of any peace initiative between the two neighbours. The indictment of the seven suspects could help move bilateral relations further but it may not necessarily put relations completely back on track. There are many in India who will probably continue to be suspicious of Pakistan’s intent to move forward in the case.
For Manmohan Singh’s government this is really a catch-22 situation because while the indictment breaks the logjam, New Delhi would also have to decide whether or not to support and have faith in the Pakistani judicial system, especially when the case is legally and politically complex. The hearings, which are being held in camera, could take a long time to conclude. The defence lawyers would probably also try to challenge the legality of the indictment on the grounds that the seven people were being charged for a crime that did not take place on Pakistani soil.
There is precedence regarding cases which were thrown out on this particular technicality. There is also probability of the proceedings slowing down due to the issue of the defence counsel’s physical access to the only surviving gunman — Ajmal Kasab. One is not sure if India will muster enough confidence in Pakistan to extradite this key witness.
But what is beyond doubt is the fact that the case will probably drag on for a while. The faith the two states may or may not develop in each other regarding the legal processing of this case will also determine the quality of bilateral relations. Not to forget that there are a sufficient number of actors on both sides of the divide who will target their own government for the perceived ‘giving in’ to the rival.
There is certainly a noticeable gap between what the Pakistani state is willing to do to appease New Delhi and how society perceives the cooperation in the case. A popular perception held and propagated by many in the media is that 26/11 is perhaps as much a conspiracy as 9/11. While there are many who continue to remind others of a supposed list of 3,000 Jews who they say had not turned up for work on the day of the attack on the World Trade Centre, similar suspicions are cast on the Mumbai tragedy.
The disappearance of the Kasab family from Faridkot soon after it was discovered by the media only helps support the argument that the Kasab family does not actually exist. What’s important is not that Islamabad’s lie was exposed but that the disappearance would help erase the memory of the discovery from the minds of ordinary Pakistanis.
However, as the two states engage in a battle of wits and patiently await the fate of the legal battle, it is important that they use the opportunity to explore the future of bilateral links, especially from the perspective of evaluating the capacity of the two states and societies to bear such acts of violence. The question that we must ask ourselves is what could happen if there was another attack of the scale of Mumbai. More importantly, could the region afford another tragic incident?
The average Indian is probably not impressed with the argument that Pakistan is itself a victim of terrorism. New Delhi has dealt with a series of attacks on its soil, especially the two significant attacks: the first on the Indian parliament in 2001 followed by Mumbai in 2008. Although the link with Pakistan is not conclusively proven and many in Pakistan would like to believe the argument that most of the evidence is not presentable in a court of law, the average Indian is not bothered about the legal status.
Therefore, political pressure on New Delhi to respond ‘in the same coin’ if such terror attacks are repeated in the future will mount. Surely the region was saved from a greater crisis due to the nuclear deterrent and American assistance or diplomatic intervention.
However, the aforementioned recipe might not work, or maybe it will. Unfortunately, due to a reduction in people-to-people contacts the general public in Pakistan does not appreciate the deep sense of hurt across the border. While both states choose to deal with this controversy with the help of the media — which means that what one has seen was more of jingoism than a real assessment of the situation — there is a need for a serious review by the media and opinion-makers to objectively assess the region’s ability to deal with a similar crisis in the future.
There are even suggestions that the two states must open additional channels of communication at the level of the heads of intelligence. After all, why beat about the bush and not have those talk who are accused of pursuing a proxy war as a continued option? In fact, the head of the ISI reportedly sent a signal to the Indian government for direct talks.
This is not to suggest that opening this channel is a recipe for setting things right in the short term. It is essentially another layer of CBMs meant to avoid an escalation of tension while proxies are maintained as an option. The more important issue, however, is regarding the transparency of this additional dialogue.
Needless to say, there is too much at stake for both states to continue with proxies or not find a permanent method to resolve dicey issues.
The writer is an independent strategic and political analyst.
ayesha.ibd@gmail.com
On Wednesday, the Pakistan government formally charged the seven key suspects believed to be involved in last year’s Mumbai terror attacks.
This decision, which came on the eve of the first anniversary of the attacks, is a positive gesture from Islamabad and one which will probably help break the current logjam between India and Pakistan. The Indian government had linked the resumption of talks and the composite dialogue with forward movement in this regard.
The decision also comes in the wake of expanding allegations regarding Pakistan’s linkage with the Mumbai terror plot. Reportedly new evidence has been found in the David Headley case, in which a Chicago-based US citizen of Pakistani origin was found by the FBI to be involved in the planning of the Mumbai attacks. Headley and five other Pakistanis have been arrested abroad for their links with the attack and Lashkar-i-Taiba. There were two other Pakistanis resident in Italy who were also caught for providing funding for the Mumbai terror plot.
The discovery of new information and Islamabad’s decision might provide some temporary consolation to the relatives of the victims, but it would also make them highly suspicious of any peace initiative between the two neighbours. The indictment of the seven suspects could help move bilateral relations further but it may not necessarily put relations completely back on track. There are many in India who will probably continue to be suspicious of Pakistan’s intent to move forward in the case.
For Manmohan Singh’s government this is really a catch-22 situation because while the indictment breaks the logjam, New Delhi would also have to decide whether or not to support and have faith in the Pakistani judicial system, especially when the case is legally and politically complex. The hearings, which are being held in camera, could take a long time to conclude. The defence lawyers would probably also try to challenge the legality of the indictment on the grounds that the seven people were being charged for a crime that did not take place on Pakistani soil.
There is precedence regarding cases which were thrown out on this particular technicality. There is also probability of the proceedings slowing down due to the issue of the defence counsel’s physical access to the only surviving gunman — Ajmal Kasab. One is not sure if India will muster enough confidence in Pakistan to extradite this key witness.
But what is beyond doubt is the fact that the case will probably drag on for a while. The faith the two states may or may not develop in each other regarding the legal processing of this case will also determine the quality of bilateral relations. Not to forget that there are a sufficient number of actors on both sides of the divide who will target their own government for the perceived ‘giving in’ to the rival.
There is certainly a noticeable gap between what the Pakistani state is willing to do to appease New Delhi and how society perceives the cooperation in the case. A popular perception held and propagated by many in the media is that 26/11 is perhaps as much a conspiracy as 9/11. While there are many who continue to remind others of a supposed list of 3,000 Jews who they say had not turned up for work on the day of the attack on the World Trade Centre, similar suspicions are cast on the Mumbai tragedy.
The disappearance of the Kasab family from Faridkot soon after it was discovered by the media only helps support the argument that the Kasab family does not actually exist. What’s important is not that Islamabad’s lie was exposed but that the disappearance would help erase the memory of the discovery from the minds of ordinary Pakistanis.
However, as the two states engage in a battle of wits and patiently await the fate of the legal battle, it is important that they use the opportunity to explore the future of bilateral links, especially from the perspective of evaluating the capacity of the two states and societies to bear such acts of violence. The question that we must ask ourselves is what could happen if there was another attack of the scale of Mumbai. More importantly, could the region afford another tragic incident?
The average Indian is probably not impressed with the argument that Pakistan is itself a victim of terrorism. New Delhi has dealt with a series of attacks on its soil, especially the two significant attacks: the first on the Indian parliament in 2001 followed by Mumbai in 2008. Although the link with Pakistan is not conclusively proven and many in Pakistan would like to believe the argument that most of the evidence is not presentable in a court of law, the average Indian is not bothered about the legal status.
Therefore, political pressure on New Delhi to respond ‘in the same coin’ if such terror attacks are repeated in the future will mount. Surely the region was saved from a greater crisis due to the nuclear deterrent and American assistance or diplomatic intervention.
However, the aforementioned recipe might not work, or maybe it will. Unfortunately, due to a reduction in people-to-people contacts the general public in Pakistan does not appreciate the deep sense of hurt across the border. While both states choose to deal with this controversy with the help of the media — which means that what one has seen was more of jingoism than a real assessment of the situation — there is a need for a serious review by the media and opinion-makers to objectively assess the region’s ability to deal with a similar crisis in the future.
There are even suggestions that the two states must open additional channels of communication at the level of the heads of intelligence. After all, why beat about the bush and not have those talk who are accused of pursuing a proxy war as a continued option? In fact, the head of the ISI reportedly sent a signal to the Indian government for direct talks.
This is not to suggest that opening this channel is a recipe for setting things right in the short term. It is essentially another layer of CBMs meant to avoid an escalation of tension while proxies are maintained as an option. The more important issue, however, is regarding the transparency of this additional dialogue.
Needless to say, there is too much at stake for both states to continue with proxies or not find a permanent method to resolve dicey issues.
The writer is an independent strategic and political analyst.
ayesha.ibd@gmail.com
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