Pakistan’s struggle for the rule of law
One of the things that I love about my job is that it is important. Every day, people call our office whose legal rights have been violated. My job is to make sure that the evildoers (as we like to affectionately call employers who violate the law) don’t get away with it. Often times, this requires us to file lawsuits. Thankfully, we know that the judges who preside over our cases are independent and faithful to their oaths to uphold the law in a non-partisan fashion. The result? Our clients truly get justice.
Along this vein, as I was driving home last night, I caught part of Terry Gross’ Fresh Air program on the local NPR station. Her featured guest was Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist and author. Rashid rightly pointed out that the international community, including the United States, has failed to use its persuasive authority to encourage the restoration of the rule of law in Pakistan. As you know since Musharraf’s imposition of martial law on November 3, he has, inter alia, fired the Justices of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and placed them under indefinite house arrest, as they refused to take an oath of allegiance to Musharraf. Musharraf then installed his own puppet Justices. Hundreds of lawyers and judges in Pakistan, who remain faithful to their oaths to uphold the Constitution of Pakistan, have been protesting in the streets, demanding the reinstatement of the fired Justices and the restoration of the rule of law. Many of these lawyers and judges have been arrested and imprisoned or placed under indefinite house arrest. The United States has not demanded the Justices’ reinstatement, thereby condoning Musharraf’s encroaching despotism. This post goes out to the lawyers and judges in Pakistan who have risked their freedom and their lives in the name of an independent judiciary and democracy.
~Lara
