Daily Times

If I respect one man for the rare combination of integrity and verbal eloquence, it is Justice Asif Khosa. I had the honour of serving on the Rhodes selection panel with him. However, I beg to differ with his view of humanity, philosophy and Pakistani politics.

We differ on our views on the tragi-comedy of Panama Papers.

First the comedy. It is mind-boggling that the Supreme Court took up the case on the complaint of Sheikh Rasheed, Siraj-ul-Haq and Imran Khan. Most readers will recall Imran Khan’s famous on-record promise that he would not hire Sheikh Rasheed even as a peon. Siraj’s party only a few years ago rejected the notion that army officers who died while fighting terrorists were “martyrs”. What’s even more ridiculous is that the persons most vocal on corruption are Jahangir Tareen, Asif Ali Zardari and Aitzaz Ahsan.

Equally comic is Justice Asif Khosa’s reference to The Godfather.

After all, the Godfather in the novel had said, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Equally weird is the assertion that all rich people are criminals. Karl Popper had said all that was needed to falsify a theory was one data point. I can give thousands.

Now the tragedy. We Pakistanis love drama, especially when the hero goes in circles. We as a nation also go in circles. We elect a government and then want Martial Law. We get Martial Law and then ask for elections. And in this dramatic back and forth, we are fully aided by popular commentators such as Rauf Klasra and Ayaz Amir. In Klasra’s recent column, he expresses surprise over both Panama case and Mashal Khan’s murder, ignoring that fanaticism will rise, not abate, if we keep changing governance structures repeatedly.

Consider Pakistan’s stock market. Pakistan is not a communist country so it must rely on its stock market to gather capital for companies that are now flourishing under Nawaz Sharif’s government. The minute, however, PTI opens its mouth, or the Supreme Court judges make inappropriate remarks, the market collapses. The minute Nawaz Sharif’s government is given a respite by the establishment, the market jumps by thousands of points. If PTI is so worried about Pakistanis investing abroad, why does it not show mercy to Pakistanis who invest at home?

Consider an even greater irony. Justice Khosa says Nawaz Sharif is neither Sadiq” (truthful) nor Amin (trustworthy). Now it is flabbergasting that these words were inserted by General Ziaul Haq, the one person responsible for so much of Pakistan’s present misery. Is Justice Khosa siding with Zia? Further, based on the “truthful” and “trustworthy” criteria, can you name one person in Pakistan who can be elected prime minister? What if one day Imran Khan becomes prime minister, while Nawaz Sharif and the establishment move the court against him on the plea that he has a daughter out of wedlock? (I personally believe he has none). Justice Khosa’s views have opened up a Pandora Box that may not be shut again for centuries.

Consider the ultimate tragedy. PTI organised a dharna during which Parliament itself was attacked. Then a few years later, when CPEC-fuelled Pakistani economy steamed ahead, PTI put together a few thousand people from KP who ran amok and were duly chased by the police. The Supreme Court intervened. Then anchors and journalists got into action, and the rest is history. Now PTI has again started agitating against the judgement itself. Sigh. One wonders, how will Pakistan grow if all the opposition parties in the future resort to this?

Has any TV anchor debated in the last few years the alarming population time-bomb in Pakistan? In a few decades, we will grow from 230 million to 500 million. Has some filthy-rich (and thus criminal) TV anchor worried about the deteriorating environment of almost all big cities of Pakistan? If our economy does not grow, how will we stop, reverse and prevent terrorism? How will our armed forces fight with India if that is what we are meant to do?

I think both Imran Khan and Justice Khosa are decent men who love Pakistan as much as you or I. However, just as they think my views are misplaced, I also have a right to say theirs are equally misplaced. In five years, we will know who is right. But my logic is clear. Until the structure of governance in Pakistan is fixed, we will keep getting into this mess. Democracy has to be chosen for the next hundred years. If politicians know that in eight or ten years’ time, democracy will be replaced by a dictatorship, then their behaviour will be shaped accordingly, and they will need funds so that when they come back, they can start afresh.

The writer was educated at Oxford, INSEAD, CEIBS and Cranfield. He has worked as a Pakistani diplomat