In what her supporters claim is a politically motivated prosecution, police issued a warrant last night for the arrest of Atiqa Odho, 43. "What can I say?" Ms Odho told The Independent, apparently resigned to her fate. "The people have to decide now."
In one of the most bizarre instances of judicial activism, the ill-fated duty free purchase four months ago has seen Ms Odho dragged into the harsh glare of a local media that has long celebrated her as one of its most recognised faces, after the country's top judge sharply objected to her transgression after returning to Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates. Pakistan has been a dry country since the late 1970s, when alcohol was banned in a bow to rising religious opinion.
Outraged by the decision of the airport police to release her after a brief detention, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry resorted to discretionary powers. In Pakistan, the Supreme Court can take notice of perceived misconduct by acting "on its own initiative". Every Pakistani is now familiar with the Latin equivalent, suo moto, given the judge's taste for its use. » | Omar Waraich in Islamabad | Wednesday, October 12, 2011
