Chowrangi

General Pervez Musharraf declared the just dissolved assemblies; the only “dignified” assemblies in the history of Pakistan, because they have completed their 5 years. With all due respect and fear to emergency, it sounds like as we could call any criminal “dignified”, who gets a release after completing his punishment years in jail.

For nation it’s really hard to digest the word “dignified” for the assemblies where they saw the likes of Wasi Zafar, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Dr. Sher Afgun, Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman and lots and lots of lotas. The assemblies were hatched in the shadow of guns, and they were sustained through temptations and intimidations, and now they have ended when the nation is enjoying emergency and nude dance of terrorism.

This assemblies have completed their tenure when the constitution is suspended, practically Martial Law is in the country in the name of emergency, judiciary has taken oath according to the PCO, non-PCO judges are confined in their homes, basic human rights are suspended, there are no equal opportunities for all the political leaders to take part in the elections, private national and international news channels are banned, and almost all of the genuine and not-so-genuine opposition is in jails.

Nation never really appreciated the just bygone assemblies. In the tenure of these “celebrated” assemblies, nation suffered through acute poverty, horrible price hike, frightening law and order situation and a rampant unrest. It really sounds like a joke to call these assemblies dignified and august. This was the same assembly which got the title of “un-civilized” from the President Pervez Musharraf, and so that is why he only once addressed it.

Chances never exhaust for the rulers, do they. Once again President Musharraf has a chance to really have something to be called as dignified. If he only leaves the power, and ensures that free and fair elections are held in the country with a civilian prime minister and civilian president, and then let that assembly run for five years, then we would all chant along with him word “dignified.”

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