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Nov 29th, 2007

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The Emergency Times Quote of the Day “Speech, without action, is mere philosophy.” - Allama Muhammad Iqbal

APDM announces election boycott The APDM has announced that it will boycott the upcoming elections, in a meeting held in Lahore on Thursday. The Chief of the alliance and leader of the PML-N, Nawaz Sharif said they had decided to stay away as the elections would not be transparent under President Musharraf. He also rejected his televised address in which the lifting of the emergency on Dec 16th was announced. The alliance has formed two committees for the purpose of persuading Benazir Bhutto and Maulana Fazlur Rehman to join the boycott. Both of the leaders have expressed their willingness to participate in the elections. (This decision of the APDM must be applauded as a monumental and principled one. The same amount of pressure must be put on the rest of the political parties to join the boycott of these sham elections. Unless and until the judiciary is restored, there must be no compromise.) In Complete Unity

Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

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Nov 29th, 2007

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Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry urges nation to boycott elections [Courtesty JURIST - jurist.law.pitt.edu] Ousted Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry [JURIST news archive] Tuesday urged Pakistan's political parties and people to boycott parliamentary elections scheduled for January 8, saying that they were comprised by being held under unconstitutional emergency rule and should not proceed because Pakistan was in unusual circumstances with the rights of its judges, lawyers and people restricted or suspended. Lahore High Court Bar Association Secretary Sarfraz Cheema Chaudhry said the chief justice talked to him by telephone from his official residence, which he has not been allowed to leave. Chaudhry's boycott call was echoed by retired Supreme Court Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed, an anti-Musharraf candidate in the presidential election in October and one of 17 retired Pakistani judges who Tuesday issued a joint declaration calling for the reinstatement of the constitution and for an end to emergency rule.

On the President’s Oath Taking Umer The snake may slough its skin, but it DOES NOT lose its venom. The man with a stick still has a job to do an unfinished job that he can ignore only at his peril. You know what I mean. He has changed his skin. No doubt. But look at the venom – the threat posed to sustainable foundations of good governance in this country. Look at the language: "Kiyani and I will take good care of this country… The judges, and the ex-Chief Justice were involved in a conspiracy to derail the third phase of democracy… I am honored by the nation which has put its trust in me" Not in our name, please. Someone is saying, in the name of the nation, that, after all, it was the judges who were conspiring. Wasn't someone an army officer in his 45th year of service trying to grab the chief civilian post of power? When the case went to the highest court of the land, and it looked as they wouldn't be able to provide constitutional disguise to this blatant mockery of justice, someone put more than half of all the serving higher judiciary of the country in illegal detention, stormed the court premises to pick up thousands of lawyers from within court premises (I saw this with my own eyes in Lahore), filled up the courts with the choicest amongst incompetent imposters. And then the imposters spoke in Law's name what someone had always wanted them to speak, and even though an overwhelming majority of the people spoke against them. And to crown this 'process of justice' someone just shouted his oath taking cue from the whisperings of the chief of puppets, who sounded just so ashamed of himself. The snake of course, is never ashamed. It knows no course of action other than what it does. It has a nature that cannot be helped. If there is anyone to blame it is the man with the stick, who scares the snake but then backs off taking heart from the snake's new skin leaving his job undone. Woe to him who thinks that the snake in new skin is safe and even worth honor and appreciation. By the Lord of Heaven and Hell full of snakes, as long as a snake is up and beating, viciously willing to spew venom at innocent victims, no one is safe. The nation is not safe. A job half-done demands completion. Where is the man with the stick? Don't back out now, please.

I am a Proud child! From the daughter of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry

Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

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This letter is for all the Judges who refused to take oath under PCO and who happen to be my uncles as well. I had never thought that one day I will have to convey my message to you people like this, through this mode but we know things are not smooth as they had been and it is one of our testing times. This might be one of the crucial times we are facing but we should be proud that Allah chose us to sacrifice for this country. Yes it is indeed a sacrifice which we have to bequeath, not for ourselves but for this country. Ever since I opened my eyes I have seen my father affiliated with judiciary and now it is like a part of our lives. Our life is like a tree and judiciary is one of its branch. We have grown up with this branch and we cannot let anybody slice it. If we will not protect it, then who else will? We may not be allowed to attend our schools or universities, we may have got our mobile phones blocked, we may not be allowed to meet anyone or go out, we may be kept in our homes like prisoners, we might be treated like militants or terrorists but WE DO NOT CARE, because it’s a time of sacrifice and we have to do it. We are proud to have elders like you who have made us proud. You people have made our lives, not only for us but for our next generations as well. We will feel proud to tell our youngsters that our elders did not succumb to any kind of pressure no matter how hard things were around them. We will always walk with our heads high and our hearts filled with pride. Thank you so much for giving this immortal gift to us. I hope all of you are in best of your health and would read this letter. Love you all. Yours, Pinky (Palwasha Iftikhar Chaudhry)

Nation-wide Student Protests Today Pakistani students at home and abroad have risen up to fight for their rights. From now on, they will be taking their movement outside of their universities, computers, cell phones and into the streets. The statement is attached below. WE STRONGLY URGE LAWYERS, NGOs AND ALL SECTION OF THE CIVIL SOCIETY TO JOIN IN THESE PROTESTS TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS! These are only a build up for MASSIVE WORLD WIDE PROTESTS to be held until the country goes back to pre-Nov 2 position (restoration of judges, freedom of media, release of political prisoners, etc). Please contact [email protected] and [email protected] if you want to hold protest in your cities and want them to be included in the next newsletter! You are advised to participate in the events and to distribute this to as many people as possible. Media coverage has been asked for but please do not forget to bring your own cameras. In addition, feel free to inform about these events to any media personnel. Here are the details of the events: FRIDAY, NOV 30th: Islamabad: 3pm, In front of Holiday Inn (opp Press Club) for Capital talk then join judges and lawyers at 4 30 in front of Marriot to march to CJs house. Lahore: 2pm, Liberty Chowk Lahore Karachi: 3pm, Mazar-e-Quaid Waiting confirmation from other cities in Pakistan. INTERNATIONAL VENUES: Nov 30th: Toronto 3 pm, Queen's Park,Toronto, ON Contact:416.879.7246 Chicago contact Shahzad , (773) - 817-1689. Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

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Geneva, 3 pm, infront of the UN building. Oslo, contact Oslo: [email protected], phone # 004747391608 Boston, contact Saad Rizvi, [email protected], 857-334-8012 Dec 1: Orlando, 1 pm, Lake Eola Park, Downtown, Orlando London, 1 pm , parliament avenue , contact Mutahir--07943005302 New York, 12pm, Infront of UN in Manhattan, NY. 42nd street, and 1st Avenue Dublin, 1 pm, outside PARLIAMENT HOUSE Marion House

Update on Muneer A Malik Beena Sarwar KARACHI, Nov 29: "If you care for Muneer A. Malik, please don't try to meet him," appealed Malik's brother Saeed Malik, who arrived from the USA on Saturday. Former President Supreme Court Bar Association Muneer A. Malik was arrested in Karachi on Nov 3 and initially sent to Karachi Central Prison. He was later taken to Attock Jail, where his condition started deteriorating. He was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on Friday after he started passing blood in his urine. Mr Malik was brought to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplant (SIUT) in his hometown Karachi on Wednesday afternoon. He appeared in better shape than he had been when interviewed at PIMS, and walked into the hospital room on his own. However, doctors stress that his condition is still sensitive and he needs peace and quiet. Nobody was allowed to meet him except immediate family, although a large number of visitors thronged the ward on hearing of his arrival. Most were ordinary people, men and women, who were at the Institute to attend to their own relatives. "They couldn't break his will, so they tried to break his body," said Saeed Malik, Muneer's younger brother. "You take a perfectly healthy man, and within three weeks he is near death. He should have been shifted to the hospital days earlier. By the time he was sent to PIMS, he had acute renal failure. He was still under detention and his hospital room was surrounded by a cordon of police." Stressing that Muneer A. Malik had no prior history of kidney problems, Saeed Malik said that the condition was caused by dehydration and toxicity. Asked about the allegation that Muneer Malik had been given poisoned juice, he said, "There is a probability of unknown toxins, but at this point we can't say any more." He said he and his family were very moved by the support shown to Muneer A. Malik from around the world. "It is because of this support that we were able to keep going," he said. "But anyone who cares for him right now should understand that his immunity is very low. Doctors have asked us not to discuss the details. He is in a situation where we should not push him. We have to give him time to heal."

GEO back on air internationally, still blocked in Pakistan Beena Sarwar Geo update: The Dubai government has finally (and despite continuing pressure from the govt) allowed Geo TV to start transmission from midnight tonight (I think Dubai time) via satellite. The network has been available all this time through the web (audio and video), but cable operators in Pakistan are still blocking it. As mentioned in the earlier update, the government (Deputy Attorney General) says that they have not given any orders to this effect. The final hearing at the Sindh High Court was supposed to take place today but the DAG again argued for postponement. He wanted Geo to join up with another case that has been lodged in the Supreme Court (by parties that have nothing to do with this issue, and according to sources are actually the govt's own people). Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com

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The sticking point continues to be the govt's demands for the Jang group to sack certain people, not just from Geo but also from the print side. ARY has been back on for a couple of days - having agreed to drop current affairs talk shows with hosts like Kashif Abbasi, apparently.

Disclaimer: This publication is not affiliated with or does not endorse any political party or social group. It is a humble effort to inspire and make aware- for we together can make a difference in these troubled times. Write to us at [email protected]. Our online version is on pakistanmartiallaw.blogspot.com