“Following in the footsteps of the National Assembly, the Senate Standing Committee on Education will also discuss the controversy of extra marks awarded to Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar’s daughter…” (source: The News International, November 28)
Extra marks. Wow. So unusual a practice here in Pakistan; officials in high places pulling strings for their off-spring. This has to be condemned. Vigorously. There should be protests. Tires should be burnt. Marches should be taken out. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Nawaz Sharif has called for Hameed Dogar’s resignation. That would be the honorable thing to do when a scandal hits your front door, right?
So, when Iftikhar Chaudhry was accused of amending the constitution (amendments to the Police Service of Pakistan rules) in order to place his son, Dr. Arsalan Iftikhar Chaudhry, as Additional Superintendent of Police after he had twice flunked the Central Superior Services (CSS) exam that is required for that level of position, he did the honorable thing and stepped down from his post, right? Or did he, instead, embroil the state and Supreme Court in a long trial for which we still have no conclusion (the full report of the Supreme Court is yet to be issued), started a pointless, riotous movement of lawyers that has resulted in several disruptions of law and order, numerous delays in an already dissipated judicial system and caused rifts between the current ruling parties?
Where was the press when the Chief Justice under Musharraf did the same thing? Is he pardoned for his sins because of a single act of defiance? Is he awarded merit points for nepotism and corruption when his colleagues are punished? Should we not then award the same points to everyone else? After all, we rewarded a man who stole over $2billion from Pakistan with the Presidency. Perhaps CJ Hameed Dogar is not corrupt enough for us? Obviously, the smaller crimes against the nation are considered far more heinous in this system.