A thumping victory

'Kurd' is a brand name with considerable cachet. That's why, the marketing gurus of the Lawyers' Movement did not need to burn midnight oil to secure a thumping victory for Mr Ali Ahmed Kurd as president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Moreover, this victory was a forgone conclusion, given the support pro-movement lawyers enjoy among the legal fraternity on the one hand; and deteriorating standing of the pro-government lawyers led by the attorney-general, the law minister, and, to the chagrin of many jiyalas, Malik Qayyum, on the other hand. Even the use of government machinery by the law minister and his cahoots to buy the votes of the senior lawyers by bribing them different legal posts did not bear fruit.
This victory, which, in a way, is reminiscent of February 18 triumph of the democratic forces, is indeed a new beginning, a new awakening, a new impetus for the movement of independence of judiciary, rule of law and supremacy of constitution; a fresh hope for the millions of Pakistanis who are facing the brunt of the economic and energy crisis confronted by the country today; a light at the end of the tunnel for the relatives of thousands of "missing persons" who have been made a scapegoat in the War On Terror; and an insidious blow to the present government's efforts to sweep the judiciary issue under the carpet.
What this victory has brought home is the fact that the on-going struggle for the restoration of the superior judiciary that was unceremoniously removed from their offices on November 3 last year has not died down, as portrayed by some pro-government elements. On the contrary, it has, after a temporary hiatus - due to scorching heat, summer holidays, and the month of Ramazan - re-invigorated itself, and from now on, it is only going to get stronger and stronger in the able leadership of Mr Kurd. The massive turn out by the lawyers, members of the civil society, workers of the political parties and the traders at the weekly protest rallies, especially the one taken out on November 3 this year in Rawalpindi-Islamabad, besides the locking of the subordinate courts by the lawyers of the Lahore Bar Association followed by the registration of FIRs against the lawyers show that the movement is here to stay.