What should be the foundation and basis of governance? Allah Almighty says: “(By the sky) which He (the Most Gracious) has raised high, and He has set up the balance (of justice)” (Al-Rahman: 7). The discovery of this balance in space occurred in modern scientific times. When the Earth orbits around the sun, it starts its rotation at a point where there are two scales on either side. The scale within the orbit is named Lagrange Point-1 (L1). The scale outside the orbit is Point Number 2. After a whole year, the Earth returns between L1 and L2. People! If there is a slight imbalance in this scale, life on Earth cannot continue. Now, consider the next two verses which carry the Quran’s message for the people of the Earth! “(O people of the Earth!) Do not destroy the balance (of justice). Maintain the weight (responsibility and trust) with justice and do not make the balance deficient” (Al-Rahman: 8-9). Wow! The conclusion of all three verses above is “balance.” Following this, the earth and its spread-out blessings are mentioned. The message is that these blessings will be obtained with the balance of justice. Now let’s take a glimpse at the scale of our rulers in our beloved homeland!

Both of us are 65 years old. With respect to Islamic, human, and Pakistani relations, we are both brothers. My brother was a military officer and later retired as a Deputy Commissioner. Now, he is the president of his society’s mosque administration and a prominent lawyer in the High Court and Supreme Court. I went to give a lecture at his mosque. After the lecture, there was a feast arranged at his house. During this meeting, he was peeling back the layers of his life one by one. His parents were illiterate, but he had a passion for knowledge. He achieved top positions in matriculation with science while also being a kabaddi wrestler. During this time, his friend Saeed was murdered. In a nearby village near Khudian, his family was advancing in local politics. Now, the opposing party got an opportunity and implicated him in the murder, leading to a police raid. He fled to his uncle, who was a Subedar in the Pakistan Army, and his uncle helped him get recruited as a soldier. The station officer told his family: everyone knows that Abdul Ghafoor is innocent, but we are under pressure from the opponents. Arrange some money, and we will mediate a reconciliation with the opponents. Later, the real killers, who were relatives of the murdered Saeed and had killed the innocent young man out of jealousy, were caught. As soon as Abdul Ghafoor stepped into adulthood, he saw the scales of governance in his beloved country wobble and shake.

This was the era of General Zia-ul-Haq. A speech competition on the topic of faith, piety, and jihad fi sabilillah was held. Soldier Abdul Ghafoor took first place. Recognizing his intellectual brilliance, JCO Education Malik Muhammad Abdullah recommended sending Abdul Ghafoor to Peshawar Education School for FA. Soldier Abdul Ghafoor achieved first position from the Armed Forces Board for Higher Education, GHQ Rawalpindi. The Colonel of the unit embraced him and awarded him a prize. He was promoted to Lance Naik. Meanwhile, Russian forces invaded Afghanistan, and for the defense of the homeland, he went to Parachinar and performed OP duties on Tiri Mangal mountain, which was occupied by Russian forces. After serving here for a year, he returned and completed his BA from Punjab University in 1986 with first division. The same year, he was selected as JCO Education in the army. Abdul Ghafoor had now become a sahib. In 1990, he completed his master’s in political science from Punjab University. When he was posted to Bahawalpur, he completed an MA in English from the university there. Thus, the Pakistan Army system prepared a young man from its own country for competitive exams. As soon as he retired, he became a judicial officer and assumed the chair of justice.

Abdul Ghafoor sahib was now speeding along an officer’s road whose final stop was the position of Deputy Commissioner. As a magistrate, when he eliminated encroachments in the city, the Deputy Mayor called, saying those were his people, why didn’t you consult me? Chaudhry sahib stood firm. Now the stories of conspiracies against him began. His own staff were not supporting him because they were recruited based on political affiliations. Chaudhry sahib says when I started a raid to remove livestock from Lahore and street vending from the roads, I found out that those who paid monthly bribes were not raided, and those who didn’t pay were raided to bring them into the bribery circle. I worked with justice, and eventually, I had to face a transfer. As a magistrate, many criminals were sent to the gallows. Chaudhry sahib says one scene I will never forget: a 40-year-old man was about to be hanged; his cousin was the heir of the deceased. At the last moment, the magistrate has the authority to stop the hanging if the heirs forgive. The uncle was begging his niece to forgive, but she remained silent and indifferent. I said: the time is short, make your decision, but she said: we are six sisters; we had only one brother. My cruel cousin killed my brother with knives just because he stopped him from misbehaving with us at our house door. When he was hanged, she rose happily and said: I fought the case for 19 years for my brother’s murder; today my heart is at peace. I started thinking about how much she must have spent in those 19 years, what hardships she must have endured. What is our judicial system like?

When Chaudhry Abdul Ghafoor became Assistant Commissioner, he took samples from petrol pumps at the tehsil headquarters and sealed them with fines. The Tehsil Nazim came and threatened him, and he said: you are under arrest. He was transferred to another tehsil. There, when a criminal was brought, his brother came and got him released. Chaudhry sahib asked why did you release the criminal? He said: my wish! Chaudhry sahib said: you are under arrest. When he tried to escape, Chaudhry sahib caught him and called the police to handcuff him. This man was a supporter, voter, and financer of the MPA. When the MPA called, Chaudhry sahib ignored him. Similarly, once, he ruled in favor of a 72-year-old man who had been struggling for years. The old man prayed in court: O Allah! Make Chaudhry sahib a Deputy Commissioner. Chaudhry sahib says I took the Public Service Commission exam, passed, and became a Deputy Commissioner. But then came a time when this Deputy Commissioner was arrested by NAB. The media raised a storm. The Deputy Commissioner was honorably acquitted and resumed his position. This 500-page story can be found in his book “From Soldier to Deputy Commissioner.” By examining Chaudhry sahib’s experiences, events, and suggestions in this book, the governance system of our beloved country can be made exemplary. Chaudhry sahib’s service began with victimization and near the end, he was still a victimized Deputy Commissioner. Is it not time to put the system responsible for all this on the path of justice?

Written By: Moulana Ameer Hamza