Concerning the judiciary and the legal profession there are some strong and fixed opinions prevailing in the city. As to the lawyers there is little good to be heard. What was once a noble profession has plummeted to new lows. It now seems to be in the hands of thugs and hooligans, with an inflated sense of importance and little substance. Their articulation of any grievances or demands involves the ‘prescribed legal recourse’ of holding street protest, burning tyres, taking people hostage and vandalising public property; so much for upholding the law.

As for the judiciary the reviews are divided. There is talk of judicial overreach from most quarters. This might be true from a purely theoretical constitutional frame work, where separation of powers are clearly defined and political players conform to norms. Yet, what happens when one branch of the government tries to subvert the others for its own interests. This scenario is not only applicable to a developing economy like ours but also applies to the most publicised democratic dispensations. Who could have imagined a ‘Trumpian’ America where the courts would have to intervene in everything including restoring the press credentials of a White House news correspondent?

Our dilemma is doubled, since there is not only the subversion of the law, there is also a question of apathy of lawmakers towards the law or its enforcement. In any case most of the initiatives taken by the chief justice appear to be logical and for the public good. Take for instance the recently passed law allowing the Anti-Corruption Establishment to pursue cases against the bureaucracy without permission from the chief minister: a law which was enacted during the tenure of the last government. How can one disagree with this attempt at curbing the CM’s unchecked powers and a semblance of establishing some modicum of scrutiny?

In an another case of judicial reach, however unimportant in the bigger scheme of things, one had to take a relative for surgery at a hospital located in Gulberg on the ‘Ganda Nala’ or should we say ‘dirty rivulet’ or a ‘stream of sludge’. Parking the car next to it in front of the hospital one was told to park elsewhere. Upon enquiry with the workers off-loading construction material, one was told that the part of the ‘Ganda Nala’ facing the hospital and all medical facilities was to be covered-up upon the orders of the chief justice. For some the judiciary is at least attempting to address some longstanding issues.

With the coming of winter, it is time to get out the quilts. On the news the other day there was an update on the prohibitive prices of new quilts; leaving little choice for people turning to the markets to get their old ones refurbished. That is to say, getting their old, compacted cotton filling thrashed: a process known as ‘Dhunna’ in Urdu and ‘Pejna’ colloquially. There are few shops left in the city which provide this service.

In an earlier time the man responsible for this would come to the house. Setting up their stringed station in the front verandah; soon it would be transformed into a scene of wonder, at least for the kids, with cotton flying all over the place – as if snow. While progressing materially and technologically we are losing out on simpler things and small joys of life.

Finally as a childhood comic book fan and an adult who still lovingly maintains his collection, the passing of Stan Lee, last week, was rather sad news. The comic book editor and writer, was responsible for creating the most popular characters for Marvel. These characters have now graduated to the big screen.

Despite appearing to be superficial these comics contained fantastic artwork, multi-layered characters and some serious writing. The superheroes/heroines despite character flaws and personal obstacles managed to retain their moral compass. A lesson we can all perhaps learn from. — (AmLahori@gmail.com)

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2018