What to do with justice if there is no humiliation? What to do with due process of law if it is not melodramatic? What to do with fair play if no careers are ruined? What to do with accountability if integrities are not left withering?
Do they not know that everyone is to be accountable? A question was raised on candour of judiciary by filing a reference against Justice Qazi Faez Isa. But how can the ‘accused’ have the audacity to actually account for the accusations? Does he not know we, as a society, have to move on with better things in life? How can he keep us engaged by being transparent and presenting the concerned record? What good is transparency if it does not let us infer anything according to our whimsical wishes?
Apparently, the judiciary has let the public down. The legal fraternity, with all their humility, feels the same way too. But their opinions based on any reasons whatsoever do not really matter. Are we expected to honour opinion of someone who specialises in his field and academically equipped to interpret the law?
We listen to defence personnel on how to run our economy. We are interested to know about love life of our politicians rather than their efforts of policy making. We are inclined towards glamorous celebrities to steer our country out of chronic political and religious turmoil. How boring would it be for us to understand what jurists say about law?
So what if the jurists tell us that a common man cannot be expected to give details of transactions that incurred five year ago. So what if they tell us that judge’s wife and children are now snatched away of this legally protected right. So what if they tell us that the wife and children were individual tax payers? So what if they tell us that wife and children were not even ‘dependents’ of judge. So what if they tell us that the wife and children are now obligated to provide information for more than the period stipulated by law? So what if they tell us that the honourable bench has not tried to save their brethren but has actually exposed him and his family to another daunting round of culpability? So what if they tell us that judge and his family are again left at the mercy of government on how to publicly belittle them even further? So what if they tell us that the rationale of Article 4 and 14 of the constitution has been blown in the wind by the prosecution? How can those jurists expect us to respect their opinion only because of the fact that they are qualified enough to opine about the matter?
It has become mandatory for us to listen to the ‘disinterested’ analysts and let them ride our thought process. Even if they do not tell us that sitting judge of the highest court of this country bowed down to the esteemed institution. Even if they do not tell us that not just the judge himself but his wife too surrendered before the absolute discretion of court. Even if they do not tell us that the wife of judge is explaining about properties that were acquired by her even before her husband was elevated as judge. Even if they do not tell us that the wife, who was also an educationist once, belongs to such an affluent but God-fearing family that they gave their daughter 1000 acres of land at the time of her marriage. Why should we let our thought process shroud with any tangible reason when seducing conspiracies are readily available to believe in?
How proud we all could have been to see a serving Justice in hand cuffs. The amusement we would have gotten with the image of him being dragged by police into their vehicles or him being restrained within the premises of his house with wife and children. So what if the whole world ridiculed us when similar courtesy was afforded to the then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry by Parvez Musharraf?
A million-dollar opportunity has now been lost. Prime time shows are not getting the much-needed ratings. The click baits have not performed the way they could have. Who is responsible for this loss of business? Does the judiciary not know the situation of our nose-diving economy?
Sacrificing a respectable citizen is the least they could have done for the country, especially when many in the country are contributing in the economy by inflating prices of all lifesaving drugs. After all, justice is only appreciated if it is in shape of dramatic prosecution.