What do Myanmar monks and Pakistan lawyers have in common?
Both fought against the military leadership of their respective countries,demanding restoration of democracy.
In Myanmar, around 400,000 Buddhist monks began the protests after the government imposed drastic fuel price hike.
The simmering discontent against the military junta that has been brewing for quite some time came out in the open.
With each passing day, the protests drew massive support. And It was hailed as the biggest uprising against the junta since the pro-democracy protests in 1998.
The Pakistan lawyers, on the other hand, took to the streets to protest the removal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Ifthikhar Chaudhary. Soon it became a mass movement. Demonstrations rocked Pakistan cities. It was Musharraf's biggest domestic crisis since 1999.
The similarities end here.
The simmering discontent against the military junta that has been brewing for quite some time came out in the open.
With each passing day, the protests drew massive support. And It was hailed as the biggest uprising against the junta since the pro-democracy protests in 1998.
The Pakistan lawyers, on the other hand, took to the streets to protest the removal of Supreme Court Chief Justice Ifthikhar Chaudhary. Soon it became a mass movement. Demonstrations rocked Pakistan cities. It was Musharraf's biggest domestic crisis since 1999.
The similarities end here.
The two incidents reveal the opportunist stance adopted by the US, the preacher of democracy.
In Myanmar, the Bush administration threw its weight behind the monks. The junta spokesman had openly pointed finger at the western powers (read US) for instigating the Buddhist monks.
But the protests died down in due course of time. Junta adopted multi-pronged strategies to crack down the dissent. It divided the Buddhist congregation; intimidated the poor monks; took thousands of protesters to jail.
But the activists in Pakistan, who rallied against President Pervez Musharraf, did not get support from the United States.
Instead it backed a military ruler who deposed a democratically elected leader to ascend to the top constitutional post in 1999.
But the president, however, was forced to eat a humble pie as the Supreme Court asked the general to reinstate Chaudhry as the judge.
It was a body blow for the general, who has been receiving millions of dollars in military aid from the US.
MUSH'S EMERGENCY
It seems that there is light at the end of the tunnel as the Pakistan lawyers continue their struggle towards a democratic country.
Even the Musharraf regime could not ignore the 'mass uprising'. The general has been forced to declare that elections to the parliament will be held in 2008 February.
It is indeed the victory of democracy. Hail the Pakistani lawyers and Ifthikhar Chaudhry.
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