Arrested
Shahbaz supporters, behind the bars
The Horror
Movie of Shahbaz: Frame by Frame
By
Muhammad-Najm Akbar
WASHINGTON:
These are scenes from a continuing series of horror movies, rated
PG-13.
Scene 1
Venue: Governor House Lahore, a cavernous
hall. The atmosphere is cold, calm and ominous.
Audience: PML-Q legislative corpse.
The Corpse Commander Lahore is also in attendance in addition
to the Governor of the Province
Speaker: The Grand Inquisitor.
Thus spake he: I know your minds. As
your Savior and Emancipator and Protector and Provider and Law
Giver, I know before you open your lips as to what is on your
mind. I live in your hearts and souls. I know what the Supreme
Court said on 7th April 2004 about a petitioner that as he was
ready to face the cases registered against him, and did not mind
even if he was arrested at the airport, he could come back from
abroad subject to the law of the country. You see the nuance:
The law of the country, you know, it is I so I would like you
to set aside concerns about the return of the PML-N President,
Mian Shahbaz Sharif. You are my men so rest assured that none
of the three leaders, PPP Chairperson Benazir Bhutto, PML-N Chief
Mian Nawaz Sharif and PML-N President Mian Shahbaz Sharif, would
be returning to Pakistan. Forget the Supreme Court of whatever.
A split screen: A Cabinet Minister says
Shahbaz will be dealt with according to law.
The
Chief Justice is shown reading parts of the detailed
judgment following short order of April 7 on Petition No. 55/2003
and Civil Petition No. 791 of 2001: “... The petitioner
claims that as President of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz Group)
he has a constitutional right to participate in the political
activities and perform his functions as envisaged in Article 17
of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973…The
petitioner claims that he has sound reasons to believe that he
would not be allowed to enter Pakistan…
"The
petitioner (also contends), being a citizen of Pakistan, has a
natural and inherent right to enter and return to the country,
which is guaranteed under Article 15 of the Constitution. Under
Article 4 of the Constitution, he has a right to be dealt with
in accordance with law and is entitled to enjoy the equal protection
of law. (His lawyer says) When the petitioner comes to Pakistan,
he would be immediately sent back and he will have no occasion
to invoke the jurisdiction of any Court in Pakistan. The Attorney
General submitted (1) the petition is not maintainable, as it
is not based on any grievance or injury suffered. It is based
on speculation and apprehension.
"There
is not a single case where the Court has exercised jurisdiction
on mere apprehension; the petitioner cannot rely on the press
statements for the enforcement of his fundamental rights. It is
not denied by learned Attorney General for Pakistan and Advocate
General Punjab nor so could be denied that Article 15 of the Constitution
bestows a right on every citizen of Pakistan to enter or move
freely throughout the country and to reside and settle in any
part thereof. It is a settled proposition of law that the right
to enter in the country cannot be denied but a citizen can be
restrained from going out of the country. The petitioner is a
citizen of Pakistan and has a constitutional right to enter and
remain in the country.
Scene 2
A collage. Cameras move in many directions trying to capture an
inherently oppressive yet upbeat and occasionally skeptic mood,
ignoring the commandments of the Grand Inquisitor and focusing
on the petitioner. Super-imposed on these images are comments
of well-informed wizards giving their views on the possible return
of the petitioner, looking at his past performance, highlighting
the positive, and projecting the future. Also part of the scene
are different sources of information making competing claims:
he would or would not return; he would be arrested or not; deported
or not.
Frequently,
the Grand Inquisitor watches different scenarios, directly or
through his eyes and ears.
Scene
3
The petitioner begins his journey. As his plane takes off from
London, a voice reads excerpts from an open letter projected on
the screen: “I am a citizen of Pakistan. I hold only one
passport. I am duty bound to stand up to anyone who refused me
the right to enter my birthplace. I am also a father, my young
daughters have lost four valuable years of education …they
are citizens of Pakistan. They are to be married to Pakistanis.
In
reality, I was being denied even the basic right to appear before
the court and defend myself against a charge as serious as murder.
I am returning to live and die in Pakistan so help me God. Muhammad
Shahbaz Sharif."
His entourage of over 70 includes BBC, Editor of a Jang sub-office,
bureau chief of an Urdu daily, Editor of an English daily, GM
of a private TV channel. His party’s major leaders join
him, like USA President, SVP USA, VP, New York President, Washington
President and several American nationals as well as activists.
Scene
4
Under the watchful gaze of the Grand Inquisitor and the American
officials, cameras show police in action in different parts of
Pakistan, targeting PML-N workers. The epicenter of activity is
Lahore, revealed virtually under police siege with raids and countless
arrests. The police contingents are well equipped. Police patrols
are more frequent. Homes of different leaders are cordoned off.
Areas of main support to the petitioner are also sealed off. Effort
is to fully capture arrests of approximately 2,200 countrywide.
We
are also shown unconcerned citizens harassed at various pickets
inside cities and all exit/entry points in an attempt to sift
the supporters from daily commuters. Every vehicle is subject
to search. A massive Police contingent attacks a hotel as well.
Police is also shown armed with ladders and scratching equipment
to remove posters and banners from walls and the roads.
A
middle-aged woman moves out of her car, labeled MNA. A police
officer pounces at her. She is instantly overpowered. A CNN regional
producer is arrested as he attempts to leave for Abu Dhabi to
join the comeback trip.
Scene 5
The Allama Iqbal International Airport, GF-432 lands at 6.11pm.
A dozen vehicles of Elite Police Force move into action and encircle
the aircraft. Four fire brigade vehicles and two ambulances besides
personnel of sensitive agencies join them. After some reluctance
the petitioner moves towards a black car with tinted glasses parked
at the tarmac. An invisible face talks to him.
Ten minutes later, the petitioner is shifted to a special Pakistan
International Airlines flight that takes off for the Holy Land
at 7.31 pm.
Scene
6
The Airport Lounge: The airport is a
picture of chaos. All 71 members of the petitioner are under scrutiny.
The Law Enforcement Agencies misbehave with them. A few are severely
beaten. Their hand luggage is subject to brutal search. The personnel
of sensitive agencies and Elite force take their belongings including
cameras, films, tapes and cell phones, and particularly any papers
they had used to write on plane.
A
background sound keeps drumming: We have orders from the Grand
Inquisitor to stop and search you thoroughly and confiscate all
the films and cameras, laptops, and tape recorders.
A
passenger says: I accompanied him but after landing
at the airport I realized that I had reached a wrong destination
as it was not Pakistan but a state run by police, agencies and
army. The way the journalists were beaten up in the lounge was
humiliation more than the dishonor of the Iraqi prisoners.
Another passenger says: They were good.
They played football with us. I was the ball.
The passengers try their mobile phones. The network is jammed
and remained so for over three hours from 4 pm to 7.15 pm.
Scene
7
A press conference begins in Islamabad:
A Cabinet Minister says the Sharifs have to respect their exile
deal with the government which, on purely humanitarian grounds,
had conceded to the request of the leader to proceed to London
for medical treatment. Where, he reconsidered his plans and then
came to Pakistan but as a transit passenger and was sent to Saudi
Arabia.
Life remained normal all over the country except for one or two
minor incidents in Lahore.
Reports of the arrests of thousands of people were unfounded.
Only 110 people from different areas were rounded up.
Scene
8
Inside
the PIA airbus: the national career with 190-seat
capacity has only 8 persons on board including four special commandos,
two flight engineers and two medical staff. As it takes off, the
lonesome passenger is lost in his thoughts, foremost about over
three years and five months spent in exile since 10th December
2000. Images of past inundate him. He smiles. We know each other
very well, don’t we? We were partners for so long, after
all. Remember, once you preferred me to my elder brother. We missed
the chance. Now the political engineering is working its way again.
We know imposed unifications. We know the role Punjab can play,
particularly when an energetic chief Minister is pitted against
a beleaguered Prime Minster. My brother and I are no longer the
key players in this game, no more. I will soon join the ex-Emperor
Premier for a meal. He made this airport. It looks good. I cannot
see the city roads and bridges I helped widen and construct.
The most bothersome question is where
are the people? They came out and suffered and many remained loyal
but I could neither feel their presence at the airport nor in
the city although it was away from me. I know the people as well.
They came to see Benazir Bhutto in the spring of 1986 and we learnt
first-hand how they defy unrepresentative regimes. Where have
they gone now? How come a few arrests and tear gas shells have
been able to block passage to millions of them? Where is that
surging sea of human souls? Seems we have lost them somewhere
in the piles of bad loans, ageing yellow cabs, targeted SROs,
regal governance, provincial disharmony, attack on the Supreme
Court, urban chaos, ethnic turbulence, disregard for institutions,
poor choices of foreign policy…And now we are definitely
no longer rulers but they would not even allow me to be at my
own soil to suffer, be jailed, harassed and isolated in my own
land.
There
is a deep wailing sound in the background. The plane touched the
holy land.
Drop
scene: An invisible face stamps travel documents.
Camera cannot see if the agent returned the petitioner’s
passport back to him.
