What choice will we make?

One hopes that we have finally realised  on a day as sad as this one, that  the violence of the state and of fundamentalists can only take us to darker destinations. Never before have I witnessed such  intense  pain  and sorrow, shared  so much across the entire country  as I saw on the   evening of that fateful Thursday, when Benazir bade her final farewell.  Moments of trial for a nation whose helpless citizens in a state of  grief  and distress feel utterly confused, uncertain and anxious about  what might happen next.

Pakistan today stands   at  crossroads where it must choose between a civilised,  peaceful, progressive  and  democratic path or disintegrate under an  illegitimate , one person dictatorial rule. The choices are limited and  the time is short.  There may be one last opportunity to make amends and  change the course of events.  Perhaps  a set of demands such as the ones listed below may help to unify the shattered people  and provide a new roadmap for the future. 

a.      Musharraf must resign and be made accountable for constitutional violations before a court of law.

b.      The 1973 constitution as it stood on 12 October 1999 be restored.

c.       The pre November 3 judiciary must be restored and all PCO judges removed.

d.      A new neutral and   caretaker government  and an independent election commission be appointed  to hold elections within 3 months.

Clearly this could happen only if these demands are backed by political parties as well as   a  large segment of civil society. Now is the time  to close ranks, regardless of political affiliations and ideologies.  A time to choose a peaceful and democratic future, and say  goodbye to the politics of violence. The future of Pakistan may well hinge on an unequivocal  expression of this choice.  

 Naeem Sadiq