I remember the days when our judiciary was regarded as incorruptible and highly esteemed. If I told my father about a high court Pakistani judge who was rumored to take bribes to settle cases, he would be livid with anger. "A lower court judge may be corrupt, but a high court judge is always honest", he would shout.
Today, just when I thought the judiciary wouldn't lower itself further in its open support for Imran Khan, the Supreme Court chief justice said something that confirmed my view about the establishment forcing judges to ensure that Imran Khan stays in power until 2023 (and perhaps even beyond that). In a fairly simple case that should have been decided in five minutes (whether senate elections should be held via open or secret ballot), the honorable judge told the Election Commission that it would be responsible if Imran Khan's party didn't get a majority in the forthcoming senate elections (which will surely happen if secret balloting is allowed, as it should be). In fact, the judge went even further, lamenting that both PPP and PLMN had failed to pass a law to hold senate elections via open balloting, as they had agreed to do when they were in opposition).
And, as expected, Faisal Vawda has been allowed to contest the elections, despite having failed to appear before the Election Commission to explain whether he was a dual national when he stood for the 2018 elections. It should be obvious to even certified morons that the man is guilty of perjury, yet the Commission accepted his nomination papers without even a cursory inspection. The way Vawda walked out of the ECP's offices after getting his papers accepted, one would've thought he was the supreme commander of the armed forces. At the same time, the papers of PMLN's Parvez Rasheed were rejected for not having paid some government dues.
So it's obvious that the establishment will go all out to get Imran's men elected. It will be a black day in Pakistan's history if that happens.
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