Raising the black flag

For the last year, provincial and national Bar Association members have been protesting the March 2007 ouster of PK Supreme Court Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, and calling for his reinstatement. Since the state of emergency declared November 3 (lifted Dec. 15), these protests have included calls for the reinstatement of the 60 other provincial and national-level judges that either "refused or were not called to take the oath under the Provisional Constitution Order." (from the March 10 2008 edition of Dawn News)

While the lawyers have created a regular forum for voicing their demands, the movement of which they are the most internationally known representatives is actually quite a bit broader. Students, civil society advocates, and women's/human rights advocates are also active in the push to move the President Formerly Known as General Musharraf to action. Well, as the recent election showed, Musharraf's popularity is pretty well in the toilet at this point (for these and other reasons), but public pressure to restore the judiciary seems to have reached an audience in his political opponents: Asif Ali Zardari (Pakistan People's Party Co-Chair) and Nawaz Sharif (leader of the PML-N party) have finally agreed to form a coalition government, and they have pledged to get a resolution through the National Assembly in 30 days, to reinstate the deposed judges.

In recognition of this potential sign of progress, the lawyers have temporarily suspended street protests, giving the new government-in-waiting a chance to act. A token protest continues, in the form of flying black flags and wearing black arm bands.

Here's to hope, friends.

*Read/listen to more about the PPP-PMLN agreement and the pledge to restore judges here, here and here.