Been court-martialed? Don't use your military rank when you sue the government in Pakistan!

It was a lively scene at the Supreme Court of Pakistan the other day. The court was to hear a petition concerning allegations of vote-rigging in the country's recent election. The problem: the petitioner, who styled himself a retired Brigadier, wasn't in court, having left the country in a hurry for unstated reasons. Their Honors were displeased at that as well as the fact, pointed out by counsel for the respondents, that the petitioner had been convicted at a court-martial a dozen years earlier, a fact not disclosed in the petition. The petition was dismissed and the court socked him with damages of Rs500,000 -- stressing that court-martialed personnel should not refer to themselves by their former military ranks. Another lawyer who sought to address the court was threatened with referral to the bar for disciplinary action. Details are provided in this report.