Action against CJ to harm judicial activism

Action against CJ to harm judicial activism
By Sohail Sangi
THE Sindhi press has carried out an exhaustive coverage of the crisis arising from the presidential action against the chief justice.The Kawish, editorialising on the Justice Iftikhar case, says that he had disposed of 26,000 cases, received 17,000 complaints against violations of human rights and took suo moto notice in 400 cases.This created a judicial activism, the Kawish writes, which for once inspired the common man with hope and confidence. The government’s action against the chief justice would harm judicial activism, the newspaper says.The Ibrat says it is a very sensitive issue and demands judicious handling. The paper deplores the president’s move to summon Justice Iftikhar to the Army House, terming it unconstitutional.The Awami Awaz calls upon the government to give up its contempt of civil society and start paying heed to voices of sanity.Daily Ibrat welcomes Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s statement that Islamabad is committed to improving relations with India. The newspaper says a sustainable peace was possible only when the two countries sign a no-war pact and agree that they would not increase their defence expenses.The Daily Kawish draws attention of the authorities to the rape of a ninth class student by a head constable and his colleague.The paper bemoans that violence against women is rife in Sindh these days, tarnishing the image of the province. It calls for giving exemplary punishment to the guilty so that Sindh is cleansed of this evil.The paper condemns society’s apathy to assaults on women, regretting that the student was kidnapped from a busy shopping centre in Shikarpur. The paper believes it was not possible for a constable to act in this manner without the support of the high-ups.The Kawish editorialised a statement of the World Bank’s adviser, John Wall, that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer.The daily says the country urgently needs initiatives for an equitable distribution of wealth. The paper ridicules the government’s claims of rapid economic progress and improvement in the standard of living.The Kawish says that in the absence of democracy, policies are formulated for the benefit of the high and mighty to the detriment of the weak. People at large are living in misery – the increasing number of suicides being a reliable indicator.The Ibrat says the way USA has been expressing its anger over Iran’s nuclear plan, shows that Washington is itching for another war in the Gulf. The paper appreciates the Foreign Office’s stand that Pakistan will not become a part of anti-Iran action as the country is already paying a high price for its support to the US invasion of Afghanistan.Daily Koshish expresses concern over a growing wave of tribal feuds in Sindh, terming it tribal terrorism. The paper says that these feuds have claimed hundreds of lives in three years.The daily says the feuds are symptomatic of a deeper malaise eating into the social fabric – the erosion of human dignity.Daily Hilal-i-Pakistan and Tameer-i-Sindh editorialised on the recent development in Pakistan’s relations with the United States, observing that calls for a `free and fair’ election are a sign that Washington is preparing for change in its Islamabad policy.