Daily Times

Pakistan is one of the ‘wonderful’ countries where unexpected wonders happen quite often. They come in countless manners, shapes and designs. Mostly they are politically infatuated and manoeuvred. Initiated, supported or driven by the strategic or tactical internal or external elements active in the country to achieve certain goals best known only to them.

Often the ‘wonders’ are lousy and ill-conceived. Hand-cuffed public and their representatives have no option but to accept the ‘wonders’ blindly. Consequences could be beyond the expected ones in case they voice against the socio-political or economic impact of the so-called ‘wonders’. Might is right. Questions arise though they should not be, because they certainly invite embarrassment to both the visible and the very well-known hidden hands. You raise your voice or not, result won’t be different.

One such ‘wonder’ happened or imposed on Pakistan just two months back. With the support of judiciary, the rowdy National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the ‘change-makers’ deprived the leading political parties and their leader of the level playing field in the general elections. Majority voted for a party while won the other one that was never expected to gain even a thin majority in the national and provincial assemblies. It happened just after the Results Transmission System (RTS) of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed to deliver results in-time. Delayed for thirty six hours, the accuracy of the results seemingly compromised. Everyone bowed down to the will of the change-makers though they knew very well the actualities.

Certainly, we need to behave soft with the alleged criminals of the stature of Rao Anwar, if aspire to seek the blessings of their supporters and mentors. However, teachers, academicians and soft-targets from the business and general public could be targeted quite roughly and disrespectfully on mere allegations as the NAB Lahore

In a way, the series of ‘wonders’ happened recently has unfolded the actual worth of the political and the injudicious accountability puppets. In my political memory of four decades, it never happened just in two months after the elections that voters had started #ReturnMyVote campaign. So many u-turns by the Pakistan Tahreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government, their lousy and rowdy political and economic decisions, and the injudicious use of NAB, made their supporters and the general public think, decide and reflect upon differently. The results of the by-elections are visible evidence that a reasonable portion of public has initiated the process of government’s accountability. They are changing their minds against the change they were shouting slogans for in the 2018 General Elections campaigns emerged just days before as the results of the by-elections declared.

Strange is the justice system in Pakistan where accused are arrested, hand-cuffed and chained just on mere allegations if they are not notorious killers and criminals. We can find many examples in the folds of NAB, police, FIA and other agencies. The most recent example is Rao Anwar, the notorious mastermind of the motivated “police encounters”. Allegedly the killers of hundreds managed his escape for months, and negotiated several favourable terms before appearing in the court of law. He was never hand-cuffed and only house-arrested in his hometown Karachi.

Certainly, we need to behave soft with the alleged criminals of stature of Rao Anwar if aspire to seek the blessings of their supporters and mentors. However, teachers, academicians and soft-targets from the business and general public could be targeted quite roughly and disrespectfully on mere allegations as the NAB Lahore did with the Punjab University former Vice Chancellor Dr Mujahid Kamran and four former registrars of the university, accused of making more than 500 illegal appointments in the Punjab University.

The NAB officials produced former VC Mujahid Kamran, four former registrars, Dr Aurangzeb Alamgir, Dr Liaqat Ali, Dr Raas Masod, Dr Amin Ather and an additional registrar, Dr Kamran Abid, before the court handcuffed amid tight security. The NAB had initiated inquiry into the scam of illegal appointments on the directions of the Lahore High Court after a complaint was moved by one Muhammad Rafique Alvi, a former student of Punjab University.

Shamelessly miserable that NAB arrests the accused ones who have no criminal record and just on mere allegations. The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took ‘soumoto’ notice of this disgraceful incident. He summoned the NAB DG, Lahore, and the DIG Operations in the Supreme Court Lahore Registry, strict admonishing. The question is if the admonishing would repair the loss of dignity and honour the VC and the Registrars faced in the hands of the NAB.

The (federal) Higher Education Commission and the high-profiled Vice Chancellors’ Committee in an emergent meeting resolved and adopted a resolution and condemned maltreatment and public humiliation of respectable professors and teachers. The resolution also strongly condemned the media trial of teachers before prosecution or legal procedure; appreciated the CJP for ‘suomoto’ notice, and asked the Chairman NAB to conduct inquiry against the officials involved.

My question: Would it be sufficient? Would it not be repeated with any citizen in future until he is proven guilty? The NAB officials’ encroachment in authority is out of mind. How they can continue with such type of practices despite having a clear code of conduct and instructions from their chairman?

The NAB chairman seriously need to think about the recommendation of the Vice Chancellors’ Committee that NAB with the consultation of the HEC shall evolve specific procedures to deal with the allegations on the academia persons. There are not merely the head of educational institutions that practice ‘illegal’ procedures. They are compelled to do by the external pressures and interferences. First stop the external fiddling, only then you can blame the academia for any undue practices.

NAB’s arresting of the Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif is also being termed a “wonder” of the present times that would only make him a political victim and a public hero. The ‘victim’ has termed Prime Minister Imran Khan as a ‘product of the rigged general elections’. Referring to the PM statement, he has said his arrest is the result of an ‘unholy alliance’ between the NAB and the PTI government.

On the other hand, the PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari has hinted on negotiations with the PML-N on bringing a joint opposition resolution against the government in near future. Amendments in the NAB law are also in the offing. Both moves are clear indication of initiation of the accountability process against the thinly-edged present government and the rowdy NAB administration.

The writer is an Islamabad-based policy advocacy, strategic communication and outreach expert. He can be reached at devcom.pakistan@gmail.com. He tweets @EmmayeSyed

Published in Daily Times, October 23^rd 2018.