These are strange times. A federal health minister’s graduation degree has been found fake. A military general, after being allowed by the highest court of law and the election commission, has been re-elected as president.
Dozens of the superior court judges have been sent home with a single stroke of pen. A chief justice of the Supreme Court is under house arrest. A twice-elected prime minister has been declared ineligible to contest for a parliamentary seat. Television viewers are deprived of their right to watch current-affairs programmes of their choice.
A leading news channel is not allowed to air its transmission as it has refused to bow to the state’s illegal demands. Scores of lawyers, students and civil society members are being subjected to baton-charge and even torture for expressing their dissent in the streets. Is it the ‘enlightened and moderate’ Pakistan President Musharraf pledged us about eight years ago?