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Video - #MLKDay - Martin Luther King - I Have A Dream Speech - August 28, 1963

#MLKDay - Americans see Martin Luther King Jr. as a hero now, but that wasn't the case during his lifetime

Analysis by Harry Enten

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights leader and an American hero. Almost every American adult (95%) believes he was an important figure in American history in CBS News polling.

But it wasn't always that way. The fact that King is now beloved and has a national holiday commemorating his birthday wasn't something that obviously was going to happen during his lifetime.This shows us that often the fight for civil rights is unpopular at the time, and it only becomes popular retrospectively.

During the 1960s, King was a very divisive figure. The last Gallup poll to ask about his popularity during his lifetime, taken in 1966, found his unfavorable rating was 63%. This included 39% of Americans who gave him a -5 rating on a scale, with -5 being least favorable and +5 being most favorable.

King's highly negative rating came when he had turned his attention from southern de jure segregation toward de facto segregation in northern cities.

But even before then, King was far from a universally liked person. In the middle of 1964, when Congress was in the midst of passing many landmark civil rights laws, King's favorable rating was just 44%. His unfavorable rating was basically equal at 38%. When Americans were asked which three Americans they had the least respect for in a 1964 Gallup poll, King came in second at 42%. This was barely less than the 47% registered by George Wallace, the segregationist governor of Alabama. Only 17% mentioned King's name, when asked which three Americans they had the most respect for.

Perhaps even more revealing is that a lot of White Americans thought King was doing more harm than good for the fight for civil rights. In a 1966 Harris Poll, 50% of White Americans indicated that he was hurting the Civil Rights effort. A mere 36% said he was helping. King's favorable rating among them was 27% in 1966.

Black Americans saw things very differently. The vast majority in 1963 thought his work for equal rights was moving at the right speed (71%) or not fast enough (21%) compared to 8% who believed it was happening too fast. In 1966, 84% of Black adults had a favorable view of him, while 4% had an unfavorable view.Even in the immediate aftermath of his death, many Americans had a negative view of King. Nearly a third (31%) say he brought his 1968 assassination upon himself. Less than a majority (43%) said they were sad (38%) or angry (5%).

By the mid-1970s, views toward King became more positive. The vast majority (67%) of Americans believed the protest marches he led helped to speed up civil rights legislation.That said, it was far from a sure thing that King would be celebrated with a national holiday. Early in the year (1983) that legislation passed Congress and was signed by the president (Reagan), opinion was split down the middle.

A within the margin of error plurality (48%) indicated that they didn't want it to be, as a nearly equal 47% said it should in an ABC News/Washington Post poll. It was only by the end of the year when most Americans (59%) favored the national holiday in a Harris poll. Some states, however, lagged behind. South Carolina was the last state to make Martin Luther King Day a non-optional state holiday, and that didn't happen until 2000.

Arizona was another state that took a long time to make Martin Luther King's birthday a state holiday. The bill failed to pass the state legislature in 1986, and two ballot propositions failed in 1990. The NFL decided to move the 1993 Super Bowl away from the state, as a result. When all Americans were asked about whether they favored or opposed this move, just 25% favored it. The vast majority (63%) said they were opposed to moving the Super Bowl. The move by the NFL had the intended effect. Voters in Arizona passed a law in 1992 to make King's birthday a state holiday. The NFL put the 1996 Super Bowl in the state. As the 20th century turned to the 21st, King's legacy was cemented in the American mind. A near unanimous majority (89%) indicated he was a person they admired in 1999.

In 2011, 94% of Americans had a favorable view of him in Gallup polling. This included an 89% favorable rating among those ages 65 and older. The vast majority of whom were born in 1927 or later. Among that same group in 1966, King's favorable rating was 41%. In other words, King's now uniform popularity isn't only because older generations died out. People's minds changed. King became a lot more popular among many people who didn't like him when he was alive.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/17/politics/mlk-polling-analysis/index.html

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Ayesha Malik: How this Pakistani female judge shatters the glass ceiling

• By Haroon Janjua 

Justice Ayesha Malik's nomination to the Supreme Court has broken the glass ceiling and her appointment will open increased opportunities for women in the legal field, say, observers.

Pakistan's judicial commission recently confirmed the nomination of the first female Supreme Court judge in the Muslim-majority nation's history, paving the way for Justice Ayesha A. Malik to join the apex court.   

The move has been widely welcomed by the government, lawyers, activists and civil society bodies, calling it a defining moment in the Islamic nation's judicial history.

Pakistan's Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed supported Malik's nomination.

The next step is a parliamentary panel where Prime Minister Imran Khan's ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf party has more than enough members to affirm her appointment for a 10-year term.

"This is an important development for Pakistan. She is a competent judge and a role model for women in the judicial and legal field," Maleeka Bokhari, a legislator from the ruling party and parliamentary secretary for law and justice, told DW. 

Many lawyers and even judges said Malik's selection was made in violation of seniority lists

Breaking the glass ceiling 

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent rights organization, also welcomed the appointment.

"As the first woman judge appointed to the apex court in the country's judicial history, this is an important step towards improving gender diversity in the judiciary, where women reportedly account for only 17% of judges overall and just under 4.4% in the high courts," HRCP stated.

Observers and rights activists believe the move has broken the glass ceiling and her appointment will open increased opportunities for women in the legal field.

"It has definitely broken the glass ceiling. This will have an impact on cases, not specifically those related to gender, but having a woman judge there will increase confidence among women to access justice and reach out to the courts," Nighat Dad, a digital rights lawyer and human rights activist, told DW.

Bokhari also shares a similar view. "It is the beginning of the shattering of the glass ceiling, and we hope more women will end up at the top management level in various fields." 

A remarkable legal career

After completing her basic education from schools in Paris, New York and London, Malik studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore city. She then went on to pursue higher studies at Harvard University in the US, where she was named a London H. Gammon Fellow 1998-1999 for outstanding merit.

Before she was appointed as a high court judge, Malik worked in various capacities in law firms. She also authored a number of publications on trade and financial services, the issue of judicial independence and Pakistan's secular laws.

Furthermore, Malik had been a reporter for the Oxford Reports on the International Law in the Domestic Courts, a publication of the Oxford University Press.

Malik had also been appearing as pro bono counsel for NGOs working on poverty alleviation, microfinance and skills development programs.

The 55-year-old is currently serving as a judge at the Lahore High Court.

Controversial appointment?

Though historic, the judicial commission's move to elevate her to the Supreme Court has sparked controversy.

The nine-member body that was to confirm her appointment turned down her elevation to the top court last year. The recent vote was close, with five committee members opting for her while four were against.

Many lawyers and even judges said Malik's selection was made in violation of seniority lists, as she was not among the top three most senior judges of the lower court from which she was elevated.

Some lawyers' bodies have threatened to strike and boycott court proceedings, saying their calls for the drafting of fixed criteria for the nomination of Supreme Court judges were ignored.

"There is no question more representation of women is needed in the judiciary. Having a woman there is a positive development but we cannot condone the process through which arbitrary and non-transparent decisions have been made — not just in this instance but prior to this appointment as well," Imaan Mazari, an Islamabad-based lawyer and rights activist, told DW. 

"I don't think the opposition of the bar should have been made controversial — it was not specific to Justice Ayesha Malik, nor did anyone question her competence as a judge. The debate was over the judicial commission's process," said Mazari. 

A step towards gender equality in judiciary

Usama J Malik, a senior lawyer, said that there is a misconception that the majority of male lawyers in Pakistan have opposed Ayesha Malik's elevation to the top court because of her gender.

"Many male lawyers wholeheartedly support her elevation and feel that there should be more female, ethnic and religious minority members in the higher judiciary."

Dad, the digital rights lawyer, said that despite the latest move, more efforts should be made to ensure a greater number of female judges in the nation's high courts and the Supreme Court.

"There should be an increased focus on promoting women judges from lower courts to high courts. Malik has been promoted based on merit and there are many other female judges and lawyers capable of working in higher courts," she said.

https://www.dw.com/en/ayesha-malik-how-this-pakistani-female-judge-shatters-the-glass-ceiling/a-60450671

#Pakistan - Establishment and politics - ''Vital issue of neutrality''

Keeping in view the state of Pakistan’s political culture, one can expect a junior and less responsible political official from government or the opposition to be careless while talking about serious issues that also include civil-military relations. Statements from this category however do not attract much public attention. But when it comes to a senior politician or a federal minister, an irresponsible statement can send alarm bells ringing.

What Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said about PML-N’s top four seeking to replace Nawaz Sharif was interpreted by many as an attempt to divert attention from Defence Minister’s recent confrontation with PM Imran Khan and PTI MNA Noor Alam Khan’s harsh criticism of his own government. The idea was to convey that there were more challenges to Nawaz Sharif from his own party than to Imran Khan from the PTI. It was however quite alarming when Fawad Chaudhry claimed that the PML-N leaders had met “someone”, implying some high-up in the establishment. An earlier statement by Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had roused similar feelings when he maintained that the hand that supported PM Khan would soon be on the Sharifs’ neck. Sheikh Rashid has long taken pride in being the establishment’s own man and hence his statement showing establishment’s leanings was widely debated in the media.

Many had welcomed when ISPR Chief warned that politicians should stop dragging the army into politics as it had nothing to do with it. What the statement by Fawad Chaudhry implies is that the establishment still meets politicians while the remarks by Sheikh Rashid indicate it is preparing to act against the PML-N leaders. PML-N Punjab President has categorised Fawad Chaudhry’s remark regarding four PML-N leaders having allegedly met “someone” as factually wrong. According to him if “someone” means establishment or more precisely the army Chief, no one can meet him without prior information and agenda.

Fawad Chaudhry and Sheikh Rashid are among the cabinet heavyweights and hold important portfolios. They have called into question the establishment’s claim of being neutral in politics. It is for those who matter to clear the doubts that are being created about their role.

https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2022/01/17/establishment-and-politics/

ملک میں آٹا چینی گندم، کھاد کے بعد ادویات کے خام مال پر ٹیکس سے اب ادویات کا ممکنہ بحران پیدا ہونے کا خدشہ ہے، پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی سیکرٹری جنرل سید نیر حسین بخاری

پاکستان پیپلز پارٹی کے سیکرٹری جنرل سید نیر حسین بخاری نے کہا ہے کہ ملک معاشی بدحالی کی بدترین سطح پر آگیا ہے ملک میں سنگین مالی اقتصادی بحران پیدا کر دیا گیا ہے آئئ ایم۔ایف ڈکٹیشن منی بجٹ کے زرعیے عوام الناس کی زندگیاں اجیرن بنانے اور بغلیں بجانے والے بے رحم بے حس اور انسانیت سے عاری ہیں انہوں نے مزید کہا ہے کہ ملک میں آٹا چینی گندم، کھاد کے بعد ادویات کے خام مال پر ٹیکس سے اب ادویات کا ممکنہ بحران پیدا ہونے کا خدشہ ہے نیر بخآری نے کہا ہے کہ زرعی ملک میں معیشت کی ریڑھ کی ہڈی کسانوں کو کھاد میسر نہیں ملک میں زرعی اجناس فراہم کرنے والے طبقہ کسانوں کو مالیاتی مافیاز کی سرپرستی حکومت نے کھاد لے جانے والی گاڑیوں پر حملے کرنے پر مجبور کردیا ہے نیر بخآری نے سوال اٹھایا ہے کہ کیا یہ ہے تبدیلی کہ کسان کیلئے مہنگی کھاد قطار میں بھی لینا محال ہوگیا ہےحکمران مہنگائی کی چکی میں پسنے والے غریبوں سے ایک وقت کی روٹی بھی چھین رہے ہیں بے حس بے رحم بیمار زہنیت حکمران عوام الناس کے مسائل سے مکمل لا تعلق ہیں نیر بخاری نے مزید کہا ہے کہ
ناقابل برداشت مہنگائی سے خوشحال طبقہ بھی غرباء کی سطح پر آگیا ہے اور حکمران طبقہ عوام الناس کیلئے خون چوس گروہ بن چکے ہیں پی ٹی آئی انتخابی مددگار اور حکومتی شراکت دار اشیاء ضروریہ کی من مانی قیمتوں میں اضافہ کے زریعے انتخابی سرمایہ کاری کی کھلے عام حصہ داری عوام کی جیبوں پر ڈاکوں سے وصول کر رہے ہیں نیر بخآری نے مزید کہا ہے کہ کہا کہ خوشحالی کے جعلی اور جھوٹےدعویداروں نے ملک کی بڑی آبادی روٹی روزگار رہائش سے محروم کر دی گئی ہے پارٹی کو چھت روزگار روٹی چھن جانے والوں کی حمایت سے کوئی نہیں روک سکتا چیرمین بلاول بھٹو کی قیادت میں کسان کاشتکار کے ساتھ روا رکھی جانے ظلم۔الغرض معاشرے کے حکومتی ستائے ہر طبقہ کے شانہ بشانہ کھڑے ہیں 27فروری اسلام آباد لانگ مارچ کے تحت عوامی طاقت سے نالائق ناائل۔حکمرانوں کا آباد بوریا بستر گول کریں گے

https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/26100/