President Bush, who sincerely believes that General Musharraf is a true democrat, must be really pleased at the Pakistani Supreme Court judgement. “In a decision designed to legitimize the election of the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the country’s Supreme Court today dismissed a final legal complaint challenging his right to be re-elected while also chief of the army,” reports The New York Times.
“The ruling by the court, filled with judges loyal to General Musharraf, ended the legal maneuvering in the court that was the original catalyst for the general’s imposition of de facto martial law on Nov. 3, and paves the way for him to be sworn in again as the nation’s leader. One further small step, which will give final approval to his election victory, is expected from the Election Commission Friday.
“Some Western diplomats said it was still possible that the general would be sworn in as president again while still head of the army because once he relinquished his military position he would become a weaker head of state.
Meanwhile “the American ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson, visited one of the stations, Geo TV, earlier this week. She issued a statement afterward urging the government to allow all the television stations to resume broadcasting.
“In unusually blunt criticism by a Pakistani government official, a defense lawyer for General Musharraf, Ahmad Raza Kasuri, accused Ms. Patterson and other American diplomats of interfering ‘in our internal affairs’.”
Swaraaj Chauhan describes his two-decade-long stint as a full-time journalist as eventful, purposeful, and full of joy and excitement. In 1993 he could foresee a different work culture appearing on the horizon, and decided to devote full time to teaching journalism (also, partly, with a desire to give back to the community from where he had enriched himself so much.)
Alongside, he worked for about a year in 1993 for the US State Department’s SPAN magazine, a nearly five-decade-old art and culture monthly magazine promoting US-India relations. It gave him an excellent opportunity to learn about things American, plus the pleasure of playing tennis in the lavish American embassy compound in the heart of New Delhi.
In !995 he joined WWF-India as a full-time media and environment education consultant and worked there for five years travelling a great deal, including to Husum in Germany as a part of the international team to formulate WWF’s Eco-tourism policy.
He taught journalism to honors students in a college affiliated to the University of Delhi, as also at the prestigious Indian Institute of Mass Communication where he lectured on “Development Journalism” to mid-career journalists/Information officers from the SAARC, African, East European and Latin American countries, for eight years.
In 2004 the BBC World Service Trust (BBC WST) selected him as a Trainer/Mentor for India under a European Union project. In 2008/09 He completed another European Union-funded project for the BBC WST related to Disaster Management and media coverage in two eastern States in India — West Bengal and Orissa.
Last year, he spent a couple of months in Australia and enjoyed trekking, and also taught for a while at the University of South Australia.
Recently, he was appointed as a Member of the Board of Studies at Chitkara University in Chandigarh, a beautiful city in North India designed by the famous Swiss/French architect Le Corbusier. He also teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students there.
He loves trekking, especially in the hills, and never misses an opportunity to play a game of tennis. The Western and Indian classical music are always within his reach for instant relaxation.
And last, but not least, is his firm belief in the power of the positive thought to heal oneself and others.