This article surprised me because just a few years ago these young attorneys
seemed to be a stabilizing force in the Pakistani government.
The tone of the article reminds me of the "student demonstrations" in Japan in the 60's
when younger generations of professionals took over the universities, and prevented
older members from even entering their offices or classrooms.
Quote:
Japanese student protest in the late 60s
as in America, were largely fueled by opposition to the Vietnam war.
Because of the security treaty between Japan and America,
and because of the many US military bases on Japan, the Japanese students
felt that Japan bore some responsibility for the Vietnam War.
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NYTimes
Pakistan Faces a Divide of Age on Muslim Law
By CARLOTTA GALL
Published: January 10, 2011
Quote:
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Cheering crowds have gathered in recent days to support the assassin
who riddled the governor of Punjab with 26 bullets and to praise his attack
— carried out in the name of the Prophet Muhammad — as an act of heroism.
To the surprise of many, chief among them have been Pakistan’s young lawyers,
once seen as a force for democracy.
It may seem a stark turnabout for a group that just a few years ago
looked like the vanguard of a democracy movement.
They waged months of protests in 2007 and 2008 to challenge Pakistan’s
military dictator after he unlawfully removed the chief justice.
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Quote:
They are often described as the Zia generation:
Pakistanis who have come of age since the 1980s, when the military dictator,
Gen. Mohammad Zia ul-Haq, began to promote Islam in public education
and to use it as a political tool to unify this young and insecure nation.
In their deep religious conviction, and in their energy and commitment
to the cause of the blasphemy laws, they are miles apart from the
older generation of lawyers and law enforcement officials above them.
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Quote:
“I felt this is a different society,” said one former law enforcement official
when he saw the lawyers celebrating Mr. Qadri.
“There is a disconnect in society.”
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Quote:
“The silence of the armed forces is ominous,” Mr. Sethi added.
“Unless the government does something serious and sustained,” the official warned,
“we are on a very dangerous trajectory.”
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