How to remember May 12

When directly or indirectly, the state gets involved in an incident which leads to bloodbath, there is little one can do except for regrets. In such cases, even victim's family could hardly get justice. This is exactly what happened on May 12, 2007, which for the last 18 years, has been observed as the Day of Mourning by politicians and parties as over 50 people were killed and over 100 injured, belonging to Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Those who live in Sindh, particularly in Karachi, had seen such catastrophic situation time and again. May 12, 2007, was a dark chapter of our violent political history, which could have been averted had a better sense prevailed among the rulers.

This city had witnessed so many catastrophes in the last 40 years in particular since 1977 martial law that it may took whole year to remember one day or the other as nearly 50,000 had been killed in ethnic, sectarian, political violence beside local and global terrorism. In some of these carnages, the role of the state machinery was seriously brought under question and perhaps that was why justice was also one of the casualties in this city.

Beside May 12, Hyderabad massacre and Karachi carnage in 1988, Qasba and Aligarah bloodbath, Sohrab Goth, Pucca Qilla and hundreds of those died in target killings including some top political leaders. All these cases still await, if nothing else, independent inquiries. All this becomes part of bloody history of Karachi, which from the City of Lights became the ‘city of blood’ and at least four operations were conducted to restore peace.

So, what is the way forward for all political parties? It is to learn and promote culture of tolerance, weapon-free city and arms-free politics, respect for dissent and non-interference of the state operators in internal political conflicts.

But, what happened few days back between Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers few days back was an indication that we have not yet learnt much. It was merely an issue of holding a jalsa to remember May 12, on one 'venue’. A clash between the workers clearly reflected lack of tolerance to accommodate each other. Do they want to remember the day by indulging in violence? Thanks God, the leadership in a belated move resolved the matter and in the end the two parties decided to hold their respective public meetings on other venues.

May 12, 2007 was like a May Day for those who had witnessed the use of muscle power to stop a simple procession of the then deposed chief justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, and that too on the alleged directives of former president and army chief, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf. He and his close aides used Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) for this purpose.

Political parties would remember the day when political workers become the victim of state-backed violence. It should also be remembered as the day when political workers gave their lives for the supremacy of judiciary and for restoration of an independent judiciary.

For those who were handling the situation on May 12, 2007, themselves admitted that had the former president and his aides put their egos aside and followed the advice of some saner elements in the Sindh government a day earlier (May 11) and allowed the rally of former chief justice from Jinnah International Airport to Sindh High Court, the government would have been the winner.

The then Sindh chief secretary, in his secret report on the incident filed to the federal government as what actually happened and how it could have been avoided, expressed his disappointment that the sane advice was ignored.

On the contrary, the order from Islamabad was ‘Stop him (Iftikhar Chaudhry) at all costs’. And in the end, it resulted in heavy loss of lives, injuries and above all at the cost of Karachi peace.

Had any independent investigation ever been conducted, the role of key players of the establishment of Islamabad and Rawalpindi would have been found. On the political front, the biggest loser was the MQM and that too for following the order from the presidency.

A day earlier, a meeting was held at the Governor’s House, attended by all the officials concerned including Karachi-based intelligence chiefs, chief secretary, IGP Sindh, to take measures to avert possible violence.

Sources disclosed that it was a consensus view in the meeting that if the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), Sindh High Court and above all Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry were not ready to postpone the rally, let him allow and accommodate him. It was also decided that the MQM would be asked to postpone its public meetings and should not try to block lawyers’ procession.

Sources said at the same time it was also decided that some senior officials and the governor should talk to the president and advise him that any attempt to block former CJP's entry could be counterproductive and lead to violence. “Gen Musharraf, after some reluctance, agreed but said he would get back to them. In the evening Maj-Gen (retd) Nadeem Aijaz conveyed the message to stop the rally, source added.

Later, a suggestion came to issue an ordinance, imposing a ban on all rallies for 30 days. The draft was also prepared and sent for chief minister's consent. Later, it was dropped too.

Late night reports warned of large-scale violence as mainstream political parties had announced rallies to welcome the deposed chief justice at the airport and they would bring him to SHC in a procession, The MQM announced a separate public meeting at MA Jinnah Road. In the morning, the city witnessed unprecedented blockade. All roads leading to airport, including service roads and Shahra-e-Faisal, were in control of armed men, with police and law-enforcement agencies nowhere around.

Had the procession been allowed and the former CJP would have addressed the reception at the KBA, no one would have even remembered the day. Today, even after 18 years, no one is ready to forget what happened on that day.

In politics, time is most important and belated regrets are only for history. If one goes through the events in 2007, it would not be difficult to assess that after eight years of rule, the then most powerful ruler of Pakistan, who was not only the president but also the army chief, committed so many blunders from dismissal of the chief justice to Lal Masjid, May 12 and in the last desperate move imposed Emergency Plus, but none could saved him and in the end left no other choice but to resign and that too in an embarrassing way.

Let’s all hope and pray that no May-12 occurs again as this country and this city have already seen too much blood.  

The writer is a senior columnist and analyst of Geo, The News and Jang.

Twitter: @MazharAbbasGEO