Recently there has been much debate about the issue of law & order but one aspect which is being ignored is the incompetency of the law-enforcers to enforce law when required & excessive usage when not required at all. TET covers this story (also DAWN) about civil society activists protesting and the police resorting to their typical terror tactics. Amid all this the poor police has become a teetar-batair between every section of society. The upper wala’s use them as personal pets & the general public view them as evil-doers. Their wrong usage has made them a sandwich of no use.

While emergency is absent on paper some recent pictures and stories from Teeth Maestro’s blog & TET give an impression as if ones right to protest will soon be declared a crime in our country. Instead of moving forward we are going reverse especially after the much fanfared Police Order 2002. . These apparently ordinary men/women are from civil society & look at the treatment met out by police (obviously on orders from above). When i compare this with 12th May when terror was LIVE for anyones viewing i wonder where we are heading. Those who should be behind bars are roaming free & those who are just ordinary citizens protesting for their views are being terrorized.

A simple question is, whats wrong in a protest that is causing no one any harm. Why cannot our law-enforcers show their hidden-strength on days like May 12, 18th Oct or aftermath of 27th December?

or Combined Arrests, was the outcome of a rally of the Karachi Union of Journalists outside press club yesterday afteroon. A number of journalists were ‘laathi charged’ and arrested after the protest for freedom of the press turned ugly. During the event, our very own Urooj Zia was also present where she was subsequently arrested and taken to jail for a couple of hours. Post arrest, she reports having a ‘rocking time of partying and raising hell’ till her release (details later). We are very proud of having her aboard as an author and a blogger, and support her initiative to be on the front lines. at least she’s there for what she believes in.

As usual, i have both sides of the story told to me and not wanting to believe either (as i believe the truth always hides in a third plane) i’ll present both.

Side 1: The Journalists present
They were protesting, chanting slogans and in general being a peaceful bunch and raising hell, when the police just went beserk on them and started beating up everyone present. Then they arrested around 10 prominent figures after which all other journalists present gave themselves up for arrests in a show of unity.

Side 2: Other sources
The journalists were protesting with placards and slogans and were told to remain in their cordoned off area. Some elements among them (who were subsequently the first to be arrested) decided that this was just too peaceful and not newsworthy and decided to up the stakes. First by jeering and bullying the security personnel, then by trying to break the barriers in which they were contained in, and third, when all else failed, deciding to turn the protest into a march. When they were not allowed to do that, the rouge element proceeded to start stoning the security officials after which all hell broke loose and lathi charge started, following by the arrest of the initial trouble makers. That is when others in the group gave themselves up for arrest as a show of unity.

Note: both sides of the story were given to me by members of the press, who were present at the front line at the time. Which ever side you choose to believe, is up to you.

Bolshevik reports from the front lines that the High Court has been barricaded with the lawyers inside, whosoever comes out gets immediately arrested and sent to Preedy Street Police Station. One of Bolshevik’s lawyer friend is at the moment inside and is unable to come out.

Update: In Karachi, police entered the Sindh High Court and arrested the lawyers trying to escort the judges in - including Chief Justice Sabihuddin and others. The detained lawyers have been kept in the
Artillery Maidan Thana, and police were bringing more in… Arrested lawyers include Zahid F. Ebrahim, Haider Waheed, Taha Alizai, & CJ Sabih’s son.

Currently there are 40-60 lawyers in the lockup. Police started taking away their cell phones and some managed to hand them to friends outside.

There is a protest called by members of the civil society outside the Karachi Press Club at 4:00pm today. Poster below
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I turn to Metblogs to give me an actual account of things happening in my city, more than I would ever turn to a news site since they tend to make the most intense of incidents sound distant and abstract: something I do not blame them for, since news is meant to be impartial.

Reading up on the numerous posts and comments, I thought of a phrase I had read as part of a friend’s name on instant messenger: “What does it take to incite a revolution?” So what does it take?
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Karachi Metroblog has been a center for some serious discussion on many issues of Karachi, but recently the issue of Kidney Hill was reported here on March 4th, it was later followed up by a pictorial of the place and a few days later we heard rumors of progress.

It must be noted that since Cowasjee’s article in Dawn on March 4th there has been a strange pin-drop silence on the issue throughout the print media. I initiated discussion on Karachi metroblog and was pleased to see a number of well wishers come forth and discuss this issue very seriously many were undoubtedly interested in a full resolution and ultimately saving this precious land for our future.

The pin-drop silence for me is quite deafening, neither have we seen any arrests being made in this regards and no corresponding FIR’s to show some sign of progress (I feel this is a very important indicator as to who could potentially be involved in this mess as Karachiites very well know that there is only one party in Pakistan that can prevent the registration of an FIR on any of its party workers - without actually naming the party *snicker*, could they have a major hand in this after all, contrary to the information I quoted a few days prior). I just feel that the crooks have won the game manipulating the people with lies and deceit.

I wish to open this forum for reports on the Kidney Hill situation, report anonymously if you feel threatened but please do tell us, I, like millions of Karachiites refuse to take this lying down