Ali Ahmed Kurd, the SCBA elections, some perspectives... by Abbas Ather and other analysts

The Vote Count

In the 2007 SCBA elections, the candidate opposing Aitzaz Ashan secured only 175 votes. In the 2008 SCBA elections, the candidate opposing Ali Ahmad Kurd secured 506 votes.

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE/ KARACHI:

Kurd secured 144 votes in Islamabad, while his rival M Zafar got 70 votes.

Overall, Kurd secured 1397 votes (66.43 percent) while Zafar got 706 votes (33.57 percent).

In Lahore, Kurd won 1,009 votes while Zafar got 506 votes.

In Peshawar, Kurd polled 62 votes while Zafar bagged 37.

Kurd got 44 votes in Quetta against 18 polled in his rival’s favour.

In Karachi, Kurd secured 138 votes, while Zafar got 75 votes according to the unofficial vote count. staff report (Daily Times)

Analysis by Abbas Ather


Also must read, what kind of reservations PPP has about Iftikhar Chaudhry?

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-kind-of-reservations-asif-zardari.html

‘Fiery’ Kurd and lawyers’ movement

The fiery lawyer from Quetta, Mr Ali Ahmad Kurd, has won the election to the office of president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the forum that has proved the credentials of the country’s apex lawyers’ organisation. His victory was convincing and reflective of the lawyers’ resolve to reject the overtures of the government and hold fast to the decision to get the deposed chief justice of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, back into his office by removing the incumbent chief justice who they think is in illegal occupation of the post.

The newspapers have described Mr Kurd as a “fiery” person. This he indeed is, among the group of top lawyers and retired judges who led the movement beginning 2007 when President Pervez Musharraf fired Chief Justice Mr Chaudhry. Mr Kurd’s speeches were highly emotional and flecked with the political rhetoric worthy of a movement that promised to go beyond being just a professional trade union agitation. As the movement shows signs of languishing a little, he is just the man to make the blood in its veins run more briskly. Whereas Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, the outgoing president of SCBA, ended up moderating the high intensity of the movement, Mr Kurd will have the difficult task of intensifying its flagging resolve. (Daily Times)

COMMENTS:

MalangBaba:

Congratulations. Kurd is a man of honor and courage. He is a true democrat and a Human Rights believer. Nation needs people like him.

I also consider other leaders of lawyers movement to have the same qualities. People like Aitezaz, Munir Malik and Tariq Mahmood are great Pakistanies.

I honestly believe that this group of lawyers should form a new political party under the leadership of Iftikhar Ch., organize it around the country and start home work for next elections 5 years down the road. That will be a gr8 service to the nation instead of indulging useless confrontation and agitation.

Unfortunately the lawyers movement died the day they came in trap of Imran Khan and Qazi and decided to boycott the elections. Nation rejected their call. Both major parties were ready to support Kurd and Aitezaz and many other lawyer movement leaders. They decided to rock the boat of constitutional change. Now they have nothing. Iftikhat Ch. don’t get more than few hundred ppl in his rallies now. Calling the movement alive is just a wishful thinking.

Remember, Kurd won the same position that Aitezaz and Malik Qayum won before him. Not a big deal.

Judiaciary is not the name of an individual. An overwhelming majority of judges have accepted restoration. Less than 1/2 dozen left out should accept the verdict of majority. They have become over-political. Now the only place for them is politics. They should try to come back to parliament thru elections and change the laws the way they want. How can a group rejected in elections and with no voice in parliament can challenge the elected President and parliament?

.....

Bahadar Khan:

You guys, most of you, want Imran Khan, who doesn’t have even district level party organization. Talking and speaking sober is easy unless you don’t have any responsibility. I wanted to vote for Imran Khan, but he didn’t even go for elections. Now how should I expect him in power or is he going to use 111 brigade?

Others are, PML(N) supporters. Do you seriously think, if Nawaz Sharif would have been PM or president, he would have done otherwise what Zardari group is doing now?

And then there are those who are digrunted because of betrayel to lawyers movement. Guys, 90% of ‘Good” judges have already taken oath. This is what politics is all about. PML(N) wanted to take credit for judges restoration so that they could call early elections and clinch more votes. At the same time PPP also wanted to manipulate that issue, which they have partly resolved without taking or giving anybody any political mileage.

Indeed “Missing Persons Cases” are a human tragedy. If they have done something wrong they should be presented in the court of the law.

However, do you seriously think, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, is the reason for all the good? Certainly he is a courageous person but shouldn’t we build courageous and independent institutions? My well wishes are with Justice Chaudhry, but please do admit that he is an individual, a human being. And humans can be decapicitated because of many reasons. I think when institutions get stronger, we’ll not even have the cases like ‘Missing Persons Cases’ in the first place.

http://bkhan.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/enough-talk-pakistan-needs-help/

As I said earlier IMC is a courageous judge.

When system is rickety you cannot fix it by hard blow. You start a slow process. CJ, went far ahead and created enemies on the both sides of the establishment.

And we should certainly agree that judiciary and executive are two different branches of government and certainly has their own mendate. When one branch tresspasses the other, the friction gets started. Although CJ done commendable job against Musharraf but when his restoration campaign became pliticize then this was bound to happen. One party PML (N) got votes and other PPP sloganized their campaign. But this is how politics is, you don’t want somebody to become hero, so that he might get after you.

PPP is certainly scared of his (CJ ) popularity and popularity is the Achile’s heel for CJ.

But CJ has done his job, he will always be a legend. But I am sorry to say, this is all he would be able to get.

The last thing I can do is to talk against Imran Khan. He is the only rose in the desert. But what I mentioned about him is true as well. I beleive in democracy and I, as a voter, cannot help Khan Sahib, until he doesn’t contest election and organise his party.

I am not an advocate for Zardari or PPP. But I am afraid all of us are hapnatized by the propeganda launched against PPP. We like it or not PPP is a fact.

The character assassination campaign against politicians is never good. This helps undemocratic forces. Zaradari always takes comemrcial flights for his foreign trips but nobody would mention that. I have never ever seen in the Pakistani history that I know of, where somebody has actually circulated a photocopy of the guest book at Quaid-e-Azam’s masoleum for anyone else except Zardari.

Pakistan’s annual budget is something like this:
50% Debt Services
32% Defence
18% for poor public.

I have never seen anybody gave any example of people squandering 32% of the federal budget, do you know how many 10 percents would be there? Nobody talks about them.

Zardari, of his wedded life of 20 years, spent 12 years in prison. Even if he did some corruption that almost amounts to life imprisonment senetence and I think he has been brought to justice already.

I only like one thing about Zardari, he came to president house through pariament votes and not on the army tanks.

Rehamn Malik is not elected but Sherry Rahman is an MNA from Karachi, for the sake of record.

http://bkhan.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/enough-talk-pakistan-needs-help/