I watched with great amazement on television the high drama at the Islamabad High Court on Thursday, when former President (retired) Gen. Pervez Musharraf made a dash out of the complex, after the judge canceled his bail application. Surrounded by his bodyguards, Gen. Musharraf fled the court in his 4-wheel drive and sped off to a farmhouse in Islamabad. The way he fled from the court premises does not go down well with his stature. If one accepts a bail, one has to deal with its rejection also — graciously. No one is above the law and Musharraf should also abide by it.

The unending political crises in Pakistan are likely to intensify as the country is heading toward the general elections on May 11. How the judiciary and the caretaker administration deal with the mounting challenges facing the country will be thoroughly observed at home and abroad. The judiciary and an autonomous election commission are two vital institutions that can ensure free and transparent elections in order to steer the country out of the present instability. The caretaker setup must ensure fairness of all state institutions at this perilous stage, when there is a sharp escalation in assaults on politicians.

Shaukat Naeem Ghumman

Riyadh