Long and the Short of March

The abrupt culmination of the Long March without much ado and surprisingly without the much trumpeted Sit-In was a big disappointment for many to say the least. It was a foregone conclusion  that the long march alone would not yield any results and the judges would not be restored unless it was followed by a Khatmandu style long and persistent sit-in (dharna). The likes of  flamboyant  Ali Ahmed Kurd and the other barristers par excellence had been crying themselves hoarse for days before the long march and then all along during it that they will stage a never ending sit-in in front of the  parliament house and if need be the army house for as long as required till the judges were restored.  Some of the political parties finding the God sent  opportunity had jumped on the lawyers' bandwagon to reap their own harvest. However, even before the day had dawned, barrister Eitzaz Ahsan was seen at much pains trying his best to justify the wrapping up of the long march as the poor lawyers and their Bar Councils had no resources to sustain the Sit-In.  He had something else also to say, that he and his colleagues could not be bought and diverted from their mission by anyone.  Who said that? Or, was it there to ward off  an echo of some guilty conscience?

Any way, my dear  barrister Eitzaz Ahsan, when did you come to know of the penury state of the SCBA funds? During the night of the long march?  What a poor state of planning and administration that you and your colleagues had not done any cost evaluation and the arrangements for the cash flow required for the "˜protracted' sit-in that you people had planned initially.  Come on, Sir, the nation is not that naïve to buy it that easily.  You will have to spill the beans.  What was behind it?  The Zardari factor? The USA factor? The PPP factor as the MLN would have clearly stolen the show? The lack of resolution and steadfastness on the part of the lawyers?  Or what? After all what made so short of the long march?

Truly

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)

30, Wrestridge-1

Rawalpindi 46000

Tel: (051) 546 3344