It was perhaps planned that way, but did anyone notice how the Strategic Dialogue with the USA managed to overshadow Pakistans Republic Day? Yes, at the same time, Mian Nawaz Sharif got down to stopping the 18th Amendment, which was supposed to restore the Constitution to its original 1973 form. Well, somehow, we got away from the barren-ness of the strategic dialogue to an issue involving the Constitution. Of course, 23 March is most famous as the anniversary of the passage of the resolution by which the All-India Muslim League demanded a separate homeland for the Muslims of India, but it should also be remembered as the anniversary on which the 1956 Constitution came into force. That was Pakistans first ever Constitution, but two things happened, which were connected. First, the then Governor General, Iskander Mirza, was elected the first President. Second, he was the one who invited Gen Ayub Khan to take over and impose Martial Law. As there was no Article 6 in it, Ayub abrogated the Constitution and sent Iskander Mirza packing, in exile to the UK, where he shared no parallels with no one else, did not play the tabla, but instead ran a restaurant. In that era, which from todays perspective might be called the third quarter of the 20th century, Martial Law seems to have been imposed by invitation, and the Constitution was abrogated. After Ayub in 1958, came Yahya in 1969, invited by Ayub, who promptly abrogated the 1962 Constitution. However, since then, in the two Martial Laws of the last quarter of the 20th century, Ziaul Haqs and Pervez Musharrafs, there was no nonsense about being invited. And there was no abrogation of the Constitution. And yes, 23 March continued as a holiday. Even though the new Constitution, that of 1973, not abrogated but merely suspended, has as its commencing day 14 August, Republic Day couldnt be taken away from the public. Not to forget it was still the anniversary of the resolution. However, the spanner thrown by Nawaz Sharif into the work of the Rabbani Committee probably didnt take into consideration anniversaries or linkages, even though the linkage should have been noted. March 23 happens in spring, and is the time that the armed forces switch from winter uniforms to summer. Again, that was a Martial Law significance probably lost on squabbling politicians, but it does point out that by a happy coincidence this anniversary also marks the change of weather. As was expected, the rigours of loadshedding continue. There has been a record heatwave, and we can expect more loadshedding in the summer. Not just more of the same, but more hours if possible. This might be the summer when WAPDA finally throws in the towel and announces 'to all its valued customers that it cant supply electricity any more. That will probably be the signal for the President to hang on to his powers, though someone should tell him that even a President without powers will be kept from the rigours of loadshedding. Already, the existing loadshedding is driving people to the First World, to which theres a shortage of tickets. After all, the future is not just the chance of being blown up, but the certainty of lying around in the dark, with not even a fan to relieve your suffering. And stifling. At the end of the experience, you will be thoroughly convinced that you live in the Third World, and you will be convinced that the War on Terror is being fought for your benefit. Well, if that is the impression you get, something wrong is happening in the War, which is supposed to make the USA, its citizens, as well as Presidents Karzai and Zardari safe, and is supposed to guarantee eternal life to Lahores police chief as well as others who are tight with the US President. The War is not being fought to keep the lights of Lahore on, even though they were turned off for Earth Day. Two major things happened. A lot of people demanded some light so that they could turn it off. We had loadshedding for about half the Hour for example. Second, when the lights went off in Lahores Governors House, the only source of illumination happened to be Salman Taseers dark glasses, proving once again that they are the real Governor. All over the world, lights went out because of Earth Day, in the Third World because an American had said so, and in Pakistan because to symbolize the coming summer. Perhaps a more potent symbol of the coming loadshedding was the going on leave of a large number of judges because one of them had been hit by a lawyer. Now lawyers had thought they would have a relatively easier time after their movement had led to the restoration of the Chief Justice. However, it apparently wasnt enough, as the beatings given to policemen and pressmen showed. So perhaps now we have a confrontation which should please the government, between those two units so closely united that they were spoken of as one community, the legal community. Yes, the Bench and Bar are now in confrontation, and if this continues, we will have a very long summer ahead, and no electricity to power either fans or ACs, which will make for some very uncomfortable courtrooms. So we come back to Mian Nawaz, whose objection to the constitutional package may centre on the way appointments to the superior judiciary take place, or on the name of NWFP. Actually, not enough attention is being paid to the name of a province that is the centre of the War on Terror. One way out would be to retain the name, and change the names of the remaining provinces accordingly, on the same pattern. Thus the Punjab would become the North East Frontier Province, or NEFP, Sindh SEFP and Baluchistan SWFP. So what is presently an odd man out, would become one of a crowd.