Daily Times

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)’s decision to summon Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Asif Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur for money laundering cases refutes the impression that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has turned soft on PPP.

But the timing of the development raises questions about the ongoing “accountability” drive. The move comes two days after Zardari said that “angels” are managing the upcoming polls, in an apparent reference to the country’s establishment. Earlier, Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif stopped short of naming the establishment, but suggested that NAB is acting against PML-N leaders because of its nexus with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Summoning PPP leaders weeks before the general elections will strengthen the Sharif narrative that political engineering — aimed at giving an open field to PTI Chairman Imran Khan for the elections — is in progress. That the PPP adopted a relatively moderate tone while reacting to the Avenfield verdict against Sharif and his daughter indicates that the party had anticipated itself to be the next target.

In any case, the sudden urge to launch a witch-hunt against “corrupt” individuals — ahead of the general elections — appears to be a direct attempt at favouring certain political forces considered close to the deep-state. And this is nothing short of pre-poll rigging.

Sindh’s Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), which appeared on the electoral arena overnight, has recently joined hands with Mutahhida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA), which was also revived suddenly, in what seems to be yet another engineered move. The presence of these groups is meant to contain the PPP in the province where it holds a significant vote bank — all in the name of “fighting corruption”.

Meanwhile, also problematic is the fact that extremist groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Milli Muslim League (MML) and Rah-e-Haq Party have been given a free hand to contest the elections despite proof of their extremist links. These double standards will make the electoral process dubious at best.

Such engineering will not only undermine the stability of the country’s democratic system but is also an insult to the electorate. If certain political parties are targeted in a bid to keep them away from elections while others are given relief, the upcoming elections will lose credibility. It is therefore imperative that the ongoing process of accountability be transparent and non-selective.  *

Published in Daily Times, July 11^th 2018.