PAKISTAN: The people defeat Pakistan's military dictator, General Musharraf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AHRC-STM-217-2008
August 18, 2008

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission

PAKISTAN: The people defeat Pakistan's military dictator, General Musharraf

The Asian Human Rights Commission salutes and congratulates the
people of Pakistan for their resilient and determined struggle to
oust the dictator, General (Ret.) Pervez Musharraf from the post of
president. This completely non-violent struggle of various sections
of society which included lawyers, judges, the ordinary folk, the
media as well as the legislators is a clear example of the
development of democracies on the basis of consensus. In the recent
years there was clear consensus that the people did not want a
military regime but instead a democratic government. Even the support
that the military dictator received from the super powers did not
deter the people of Pakistan from pursuing their desire to see the
end of militarism. It is a sad reflection on some democracies in
developed countries that they failed to support the people in their
struggle for democracy and instead supported a military general. That
notwithstanding, the people have been able to push back the military
agenda.

General Musharraf’s game was to play the terrorism issue in a
way to suppress the rights of his people. This indeed is the game
that is played by many others throughout the world including in some
neighbouring countries. Entire institutional structures of
democracies are being destroyed under the pretext of fighting
terrorism. It is even argued that the destruction of democracy and
the enhancement of militarism is a pre-condition in this fight. There
are also those who argue that militarism is more conducive to economic
development than democracy. The people of Pakistan have the bitter
experience of the experimentation on these matters which has
destroyed their security and every decent aspect of their lives. They
have fought and they have won. Thus, they have not only made history
but also contributed to the contemporary discourse on these matters.

What is most unique in this experience is that the military general
who tried to oust the chief justice, Iftekhar Choudry, is the one who
was to be the loser at the end. It cannot be denied in any manner that
it was the struggle for the independence of the judiciary and the rule
of law that was the central theme in the struggle against Musharraf.
That struggle is also connected to large numbers of disappearances
that have been caused in the name of anti terrorism.
Musharraf’s downfall is a damning condemnation of the strategy
of the destruction of all human rights under the pretext of fighting
terrorism. This same strategy permits the causing of disappearances,
extrajudicial killings, torture and the abuse of all the rights of
human beings, all in the name of defeating terrorism.

The people’s historical victory on this occasion is only a
beginning of a new discourse. Democracy must prove capable of
resurrecting the basic institutions of stability which are the
police, the prosecutors, the judiciary and the bureaucracy involved
in all aspects of the civil service. This of course is a gigantic
task. However, the nature of the people’s struggle in the
recent years in Pakistan suggests that a large section of the
population is well aware of the challenges ahead. For them these
years of street movements were not just spent on protests but also on
reflection. All those who have played a significant role in this
struggle are aware that what are at stake are systemic issues. It is
on these systemic issues that the intellectual and other energies of
the people of Pakistan need now be directed towards.

For the neighbours in Asia, Pakistan should provide an example of how
to deal with their own dictators. If anyone believes that dictators
are invincible the people of Pakistan have proved convincingly that
they are not. While saluting and congratulating the people of
Pakistan we also urge the world’s solidarity in support of the
people’s democratic movement in Pakistan and elsewhere.

# # #

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional
non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights
issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984.

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