Daily Times

Ever since his disqualification in July 2017, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has been telling anyone who will listen that accountability needs to apply to everyone. And for once, Sharif seems like he’s making sense.

Sharif is asking for accountability across the board, while complaining about the resurgent NAB (National Accountability Bureau). Accountability is like the law -it applies to everyone or no one;and everyone involved in public or government service has to be made accountable.

Disqualification of the corrupt is a big blessing for the nation, but recovery of looted wealth is an uphill task. We have wasted the last four decades as a nation, and Sharif is a major reason behind our lost time. Recovery from this current state of affairs is possible only if the former prime minister bows out.

Accountability seems to have started at the top, and now it needs to continue and expand. The nation needs to be sure that these efforts were not Sharif-centric, even though he leads the pack as the father of political corruption in the country.

Up until 1985, party-less election politics was relatively clean, despite the entry of corrupt individuals after the first martial law in 1958.

Corrupt politicians are a gift of the khakis. In the name of political cleansing, Ayub Khan sent the founding fathers packing with his EBDO (Elected Bodies Disqualification Ordinance) followed by Zia and then Musharraf. This selection process is seriously flawed and should not continue.

Farooq Leghari as president dismissed his own government to start a process of across the board accountability. He formed the “Ehtesab Bureau” (EB) that filed a reference against corrupt politicians. He then strictly enforced the Constitution, under which loan, tax and utility defaulters were debarred from contesting the elections. There was a ray of hope against corruption. He then wilted under political pressure and allowed rogue elements to be elected.

Pervez Musharraf looked serious in containing the menace of corruption. NAB was created under an ordinance. Big fish were netted, the corrupt were on the run, but once again, political realities set in. Overnight, the arrested politicians were inducted into the cabinet. It did not end here. In his last days, the usurper allowed exiled political players to return under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO). Since then it has been business as usual. The corrupt are back in the saddle.

Pakistan needs genuine accountability to protect its national interests. People like Nawaz and Zardari come and go,but the process remains in place. Checks and balance are an important part of a system. Witch-hunts are counterproductive. President Legahri’s EB targeted Asif Ali Zardari, who remained in prison for over a decade. It seems NAB is now focused on the corrupt practices of Mian Nawaz Sharif. There is a stark difference in the two approaches. While Zardari was imprisoned without conviction, Sharifis being tried, which may lead to imprisonment if convicted.

The accountability process should continue unabated even after Sharif’s conviction. A single rotten fish can contaminate the tank

The current NAB chairpersonhas an interesting background. He started his career as a civil judge and rose to be the member of the superior judiciary from where he retired. He has solid legal credentials, which have been put to the test. The accountability process should continue unabated even after the conviction of Sharif. Even a single rotten fish can contaminate the entire tank. For complete political cleansing, the tank has to be fumigated and then refilled with fresh water.

The trial of the fourth usurper under Article-6 of the Constitution is indeed a bold move by Sharif,but its application has been selective. The secretary, ministers and prime minister should all have been indicted as they prepared the summary and the advice under which the president imposed emergency. White-collar crime against the state is usually a team effort as they are all beneficiaries of power and its associated privileges.

For nation building, we have to rise above self-interests. Those who cross the line must be taken to task and made accountable for their misdeeds. While Sharif has every right to defend himself, he should not come in the way of accountability as it is in the nation’s interests. As the application of Article 6 has blocked future martial laws, conviction of a PM after due process of accountability will go a long way in reforming political leadership.

The net can then be expanded to ensure accountability for all to keep the system clean and functional.

The writer is formerchairperson Pakistan Science Foundation. He can be reached at fmaliks@hotmail.com

Published in Daily Times, June 9^th 2018.