Friday, November 16, 2007

Non-partisan nature of LUMS Student Movement

In response to speculation about whether LUMS students have been mobilized for protest under Mr. Imran Khan's influence, we would say that our 'mobilization' has more to do with the educational environment of our university (for our curriculum concentrates on intensive analysis of Pakistan's socio-political and legal problems and their potential solutions), than the rallying call of any political leader. We applaud Tehreek-i Insaaf's consistent and uncompromising opposition to the imposition of emergency rule and destruction of judicial autonomy.However, Mr. Imran Khan's presence at a seminar in our university, at the time of emergency rule being imposed in our country, is little more than an interesting and dramatic coincidence. The media should not interpret this as a sign that LUMS student have been mobilized through the influence of Mr. Imran Khan's directives. LUMS students have independently and spontaneously mobilized themselves due to our negative reaction to the government's treatment of national intelligentsia, the legal community and the media. and their blatant manipulation and interference in a vital pillar of state - the judiciary. Furthermore, the LUMS student movement is a non-partisan civil society intiative aiming to make a unified stand against emergency rule together with youth across Pakistan, rather then affiliating themselves with any political party per se.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

good. we should all form a national student party. :D

Anonymous said...

do you guys accept contributed articles...i have emailed a couple of them at theemergencytimes@gmail.com but haven't heard back at all

Anonymous said...

there is nothing wrong in endorsing Imran Khan. It is just one element of depoliticing of students where we want be seen as apolitical

Anonymous said...

I agree ... there is nothing wrong in endorsing imran khan. Political party agenda comes later in his vision.

Also, another link for a great blog on revolutionary poetry:

http://inqilaabistan.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

i personally support IK but i think it is a good decision to not endorse any political figure.this is not an election we are all protesting for our basic rights.

Anonymous said...

Yes, basic rights, supremacy of law, and justice for all. This is one platform where all of us can stand united. Political affiliation will divide us, since sadly we do not have a single political figure today that ALL of us consider to be honest to the nation.

Thomas said...

What can we do to help?

Thomas
a lawyer from Seattle

Unknown said...

one focus:justice in pakistan
i repeat just one focus:justice in pakistan for each n everybody.there is no doubt i have in my mind that imran khan is a ambitious and visionary leader .5 years ago we use to say our tragedy is no leader but now we cant blame for not having a leader,as far as i know imran khan has no will to rule he is just here to serve and guide the nation everybody else is only running for power which is not the solution....only justice is the solution

Anonymous said...

Read this article, people ---

http://www.chowk.com/articles/12926

best of luck!!

Anonymous said...

i completely agree with the non-partisan nature of the LUMS protest. I heard something absolutely absurd, that Imran Khan is paying the rector of LUMS (that be Babar Ali) to get the students to protest! As if! How preposterous is that!! Babar Ali has to be one of the richest men in Pakistan, and the student population is certainly not lacking either! Being an alumni i'm proud of the fact that students were encouraged to have their say and not worry about repurcussions! Go Luminites! You've all made us proud.

Anonymous said...

Hundreds Rally at Courthouse To Support Pakistani Attorneys

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By Daniel Wise

NEW YORK ( NYLJ) Nov. 14, 2007 - About 700 lawyers rallied yesterday afternoon in front of state Supreme Court in Manhattan to show support for lawyers and judges in Pakistan battling for the restoration of the rule of law.



Addressing the throng that poured down the courthouse steps and spilled onto the sidewalk, Barry Kamins, president of the New York City Bar Association, said the rally was called "to embolden" the Pakistani lawyers and judges who have been "physically manning barricades and trying to face down an entire army."



Kathryn Madigan, president of the New York State Bar Association, also called for lawyers to speak "with one voice in defense of the rule of law" in Pakistan. And Catherine Christian, president of the New York County Lawyers' Association, said Pakistani lawyers "are showing the world what it means to be a lawyer - fighting for liberty and an independent legal system."



The rally was held as the political crisis in Pakistan deepened.



Opposition leader Benazir Bhutto ruled out entering into a coalition government with Pakistan's president, General Perves Musharraf, and said her party is unlikely to participate in national elections in January. She also called on Mr. Musharraf to resign as both president and head of the army.



The crisis was precipitated on Nov. 3, when Mr. Musharraf suspended the constitution and replaced seven of the 11 justices on Pakistan's Supreme Court, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who refused to promise to abide by a "provisional constitution."



In declaring "emergency rule" shortly before the Pakistani Supreme Court was expected to rule on the legality of his re-election, Mr. Musharraf also banned protests and closed down independent TV stations.



According to press reports, thousands of lawyers protesting the imposition of emergency rule have been arrested and hundreds beaten.



In addition to being sponsored by the city and state bars and the county lawyers, yesterday's rally was backed by the New York Women's Bar Association, the Muslim Bar Association of New York, the New York Council of Defense Lawyers and the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.



The deans of three area law schools - CUNY's Michelle J. Anderson, Mary Daly of St. John's and Fordham's William Treanor - attended the rally as did Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes.



Separately, the New York City chapter of the National Lawyers Guild held a protest, attended by about 60 lawyers in front of the Pakistani Consulate on East 65th Street, according to Daniel Meyers, the chapter's president.



A delegation consisting of the leaders of three groups, all of which sponsored the rally at the consulate, was received by the top official there, Consul General Mohsin Razi, Mr. Meyers said.



In addition to Mr. Meyers, the delegation consisted of Touro Law School Professor Eileen Kaufman, co-chairwoman of the Society of American Law Teachers, and Jeanne Mirer, secretary general of International Association of Democratic Lawyers. They called for an end to all measures imposed under emergency rule and the release of those who have been arrested.



The American Bar Association has called for lawyers to march around the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., and attend a rally on the courthouse steps tomorrow.



At yesterday's state Supreme Court rally, Ali Ahsan, whose father, Aitzaz Ahsan is the president of the Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar, said that pushing Mr. Musharraf to restore "civil society and the rule of law" is critical to preventing Pakistan from falling into the hands of extremists.



Mr. Musharraf has cited the threat from extremists as justifications for his actions.



The elder Mr. Ahsan, who led a successful battle to restore Chief Justice Chaudhry to his post after a suspension this spring, has been detained in solitary confinement since the declaration of emergency rule, though he has been allowed visits from family members.



The younger Mr. Ahsan, a former associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton who now works for the United Nations, told the rally that his contacts in Pakistan report that the military has been imprisoning bar group leaders by arresting them at their homes in addition to arresting lawyers attending protests.



A former president of the Pakistani Bar Association and two former presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association are among those who have been arrested, he said. The three are in military custody, a situation far more perilous that his father's detention by civil authorities, Mr. Ahsan said.



Mr. Kamins, who took the lead in organizing yesterday's rally, said the city bar had received an e-mail from the faculty and students at Lahore University expressing appreciation for the bar group's support.



In a statement forwarded with the e-mail, the students and faculty stated, "What Pakistan faces today is the subordination of every independent organ of state to unchecked and unaccountable military executive power."

E said...

Actually yesterday's daily times has quoted a LUMS student saying that 'The IJT has humiliated our leader and we condemn it for this'. I think such clarifications of our stance as done by this blog are extremely important in this sensitive time.

Unknown said...

Shame on IJT for what they did with Imran Khan. I know IJT leaders from my university time, corrupt, power hungry, good for nothing guys same like maulana's and JI. From the very beginning I was doubtful about this alliance Imran Khan was having with this Maulana's . Even a stupid IJT member knows that these Molvi's are sincere to none, they are not even sincere to God and Islam that they use to promote there agenda. Trust me most of them end up in jail or grave. Some Clever ones like Mr. Blouch becomes leader of JI. I have lost hope in Pakistan. Where one person can play with whole nation and judiciary just for his power. IT HAPPENS ONLY IN PAKISTAN.

Unknown said...

It’s time to say no
For long top ranks have controlled our lives and destroyed the country. Now its time to bring orange revolution in Pakistan by saying no to THEM (GHQ).They have sucked our blood, and enjoyed all the privilege on our blood. Look what have they done to those who are sincere with country(honorable judiciary,media,IK and others).They have always got their reasons sometimes they have used religion and now they are again betraying nation using terrorism.
Have you noticed all the evils at the moment in Pakistan are made by them e.g. these extremists which where trained by them to fight their war in the name of religion for which they exploited youth from rural area recruited them in their camps which where supervised by them and trained by them to kill in the name of Allah. All these political parties (PML, JI, JUI, and MQM) are made by them and now all of them are sporting them in one way or other. No one is thinking about the masses. Now it’s us who have to make people realize whets happening. Majority of our population is poor and illiterate and they don’t understand what’s happening, its our responsibility for the sake of our country and nation to tell them..........think my fellows think what we have to do......until its to late.....