"I must be cruel only to be kind. Thus bad begins and worse remains behind." Hamlet (William Shakespeare)

"Ex-Turksih president on trial". So read the headline today.

Let's refresh our memories because in many ways the story can be that of Pakistan. In September 1980 Kenan Evren led the senior command of the Turkish army to overthrow the government. The years leading to the coup were characterized by a fierce struggle between the rightists and leftists. The left wingers took to riots in the streets hoping for a communist revolution; on the other hand, the nationalist rightists fought back the left wingers and provoked religious arousal. Universities had taken sides and each became headquarters for either the leftists or rightists.

The National Security Council became the ruling body after the coup. This council was composed of the commanders Kenan Evren, the Chief of Staff and President of the State. The parliament was dissolved.

And now note this: CIA's Ankara bureau chief at the time, Paul B. Henze, received a call from the White House Situation Room saying "Paul, your guys have done it".

It was no surprise that after the coup, in 1982, Kenan Evren was elected the President of Republic of Turkey with the 90% approval through a controversial referendum. Evren replaced the old constitution which, according to him, had liberties "luxurious" for Turkey. He suspended many forms of civil liberties and human rights on the grounds that it was necessary to establish stability. He claimed great admiration for the founder of Turkey, Kemal Ataturk, however he shut down many institutions founded by Ataturk and is often accused of deforming the country's legal system against Ataturk's principles. During his military regime, many people were tortured and executed due to their political beliefs. 50 people were executed and half a million arrested, hundreds died in jail, and many more disappeared in three years of military rule after the coup.

All of the above sounds unbelievably familiar to Pakistanis.

Kenan Evren's trial was unimaginable only a few years ago. Today the prosecutors are seeking life sentences against General Kenan Evren and General Tahsin Sahinkaya, former Commander of the Turkish Air Force, for their role in the 1980 coup. And how did it become possible to put these generals on trial? In 2010, Turks voted to approve reforms one of which was to strip Kenan Evren and the other coup leaders of "IMMUNITY".

Two points to ponder.

Do the courts in Pakistan have the will and courage to stand up to all those who abolish the constitution and overthrow elected governments?

When and how will Pakistanis strip Zardari of the presidential immunity and drag him to the court of law?

I believe that the courts alone cannot take such big decisions. People of Pakistan will have to stand behind the judges. Only then will the judges derive their strength from the public and make historic decisions that will no only make the nation proud but also bring the billions back from Swiss banks.