[Reader-list] [PR] March 14th- Lahore High Court.

[yasir ~يا سر]

While Pakistan has just gone through an ameliorative convulsion the only
indication on this list, sarai, being Shivam's post, you guys are still
discussing your own issues about pakistan  || head shake  ||  thats pretty
myopic.
an way an eye witness account for you, which followed the brazen arrests and
blocking of the Long March for the restoration of the displace judiciary (
on 03 Nov 2007) in Karachi th eprevious day which set the tone for the whole
country in the coming days.

best

On Tue, Mar 17, 2009  moneeza wrote:

> Hello All,
>
>
> The day in Lahore High court during the long march was probably the worst
> in terms of laathi (baton) charge and shelling, however probably was one of
> the most significant of the long march as well…was going to send a detailed
> account,  will take long, however on someone’s request, I am just sending an
> eye witness account of the day in lahore high court…these are just messages
> that I fed into my phone along with updates I sent to the ggg crew….havent
> changed much...apologize if the messages seeem erratic and if they dont
> follow any rules of grammar.
>
> I have to say that what I saw in Lahore High Court that day was something
> that was perhaps the pinnacle of the 2 year struggle. The situation may have
> been leading to a show down like this for days; however what happened in
> Lahore High Court on March 14th was probably one of the most significant
> and symbolic events of the movement.
>
>
>
> One could see the determination especially in the lawyer’s eyes. This
> determination however wasn’t just rebellion or the need to stand up to
> authority or to just challenge the writ of the state. It was as pure and
> simple a group of people who really believed in their cause and their
> country. They had lived and breathed practicing the law and they were now
> out to protect it.
>
>
>
> Hundred or so lawyers along with another hundred activists and political
> workers would march to where the police stood with their dandas, get tear
> gassed…. run inside wash their eyes and faces with water, throw a little bit
> of salt. They would then form lines and groups, march out again sometimes
> with dandas and sometimes without but always with more determination, more
> fervor and courage, ready to face absolutely anything.
>
>
>
> More on this later…am still trying to capture what happened inside into
> wordsJ…
>
>
>
> Here is the blog style account
>
>
>
> Pakistan ZindabadJ
>
>
>
> Monz
>
>
>
>
>
> * *
>
> *14th March, 2009…..*
>
> * *
>
> -         Leaving home at 9:15…just grabbed a rickshaw, told the rickshaw
> to drive us close to Lahore High Court. Lahore blocked from all sides
> through barricades. Police and rangers everywhere in the city.
>
> -         Rickshaw leaves us at a point. Wow I could move to Lahore just
> for the beautiful old trees. Walking to NCA.
>
> -         First check point. g and I pretend to be Indus Valley
> Architecture students. Get through the first check point.
>
> -         Just walked past second check point. Walked past 40 police
> walaas, pretending to take pictures of NCA. What idiots.
>
> -         Third check point. Syed Aftab, the SP, wouldn’t let us through.
> Just entered the university gate to get through to the other side. Still a
> 15 minute walk to High Court.
>
> -         The university guard not letting us in. walking to the other
> side of the road
>
> -         Ambulance coming through. Myself and g told the ambulance walaas
> to drop us near High Court
>
> -         News of lawyers breaking the high court gate and getting to GPO
> chowk.
>
> -         Still in the ambulance….we video tape the police walas and all
> the police walaas standing
>
> -         Just crossed the 4th check point without being discovered.
> Apparently police walas don’t check ambulances:)
>
> -
>
> -         The ambulance walas are telling us they cant take us further…or
> they will get fired. We telling them we will fail if we don’t finish our
> project.
>
> -         They are taking us a little further.
>
> -         Crazy police waalas everywhere. One of them  points to the
> camera that I am using to tape the police standing everywhere. We cross
> another check point.
>
> -         The ambulance has left us 5 mins away from GPO chowk….a huge
> blockade…over 20 policemen…there is however apparently a hospital close by,
> as told to us by the ambulance waalas.
>
> -          We talk to the policemen. g pretends to have a sick relative.
> They aren’t buying it. I break out into a bad speech of how Ifthikhar
> Chaudhry cant stop this mulk ka nizaaam and how we had come to see Amna’s
> naani. Amna almost breaks into tears. It doesn’t work
>
> -         They let the dawn van through. God we are bad actors.
>
> -         We are turning back….
>
> -         Just saw a group of lawyers….
>
> -         Apparently there is a back way to the Lahore High Court.
>
> -         We follow them into the parking lot. There is the dawn van those
> police waalas let through….
>
> -         Police at the back gate…..we run to make it with dawn van….who
> is trying to get in
>
> -         Victory. We are in Lahore High Court.
>
>
>
> Lahore High Court….
>
> -          Just ran into d and d
>
> -         Walk out the main gate. Hundreds of lawyers and political
> activists. PML(N) supporters.
>
> -         Crazy Naaras….my favourite…Musharaf ka patwari kaun zardari hai
> zardari hai, oh BB kinay mari hai zardari hai zardari hai”
>
> -         News of Nawaz and Aitzaz trying to break out of house arrest.
>
> -         Taking Pictures and footage of the hungama outside GPO.
>
> -         Jamiat arrives with 400 people or so…..
>
> -         Chilling with the Karachi lawyers having kulfi… kulfis in Lahore
> aint that good…
>
> -         Crazy Naaras…standing in front of the LHC
>
> -         Tear Gas attack…everyone is running inside…I run inside…my purse
> is gone…lawyers handing out water……and salt…..
>
> -         We all run inside to the back of the stage put up for the
> speeches. My purse is with d.
>
> -         A lawyer shouting “Aaaao bhaayeeon bahar chalo”
>
> -         We all walk out again…shouting “chief ki bahaali tak dharna
> hoga”…the police are stranding with blockades and dandas just where the
> chowk starts
>
> -         We continue to chant and walk up to the police blockade.
>
> -         I can see only 2-3 women.
>
> -         Second Tear Gas attack we run inside. News of them targeting
> specific individuals.
>
> -         Inside..… A lawyer breaking bricks to throw them at the police
> waalas.
>
> -         I stand by the stage….thinking I should have bought a video
> camera
>
> -         The lawyers grouping together again to march out. The PML( N)
> supporters have grabbed sticks
> -          The contingent is walking out chanting “ chief ki bahali tak
> dharna hoga dharna hoga”
>
>
> -        a LPP women contingent walking out with black bands wrapped
> around their head which proudly claim dharna.
>
> -         I run upto them to walk with them…. We walk out…I can see a few
> lawyers marching up ahead….with dandaaas….an aunite is saying “ women
> shouldn’t go outside; her face is fully make-uped…guess she hasn’t been tear
> gassed yet”
>
> -         Tear Gas close to the gate.
>
> -         Worst tear gassing yet….we all just run inside
>
> -         They are tear gassing High court from all three sides. Everyone
> is inside…. Huddled together……various people giving out bottles and salt.
> -     We all walk outside again…Salauddin tells me to go back inside…the
> lawyers are trying to beat up the police!!...this is crazy….
> -
> -
>
> - things seem to have settled down a bit…we all walk inside to take a
> little rest…
>
> - walking outside…tear gas again…we run inside again
>
> - inside….high court cafeteria is packed with lawyers, students….everyones
> looking for water and food
>
> - we grab a  guy who has chaanaas…..when is Nawaz going to show up
>
> - News that Nawaz is with 500,000 people….
>
> - News of aitzaz showing up
>
> - Hanging out with the Karachi lawyers in a big run down library/conference
> room of the lhc
>
> - SAC students chanting go zardaari go Naaras inside
>
> - Chai and samosas
>
> - a few hours have passed…still no sign of nawaz
>
> - Aitzaz shows up…..everyone is going crazy
>
> - we walk out with a megaphone…start chanting sindhi Naaras…followed by
> anti zardari naaras…..everyone joins us….things have settled down…
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> “I am for truth, no matter who tells it. I am for justice, no matter who it
> is for or against. I am a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m
> for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.”
> -- Malcolm X
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