Daily Times

The last week has been quite confusing on many fronts especially for Pakistan and South Asia. For Pakistanis, the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government achieved new frontiers of ‘accountability’. Two accused of corruption, the deputy director Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the chief executive officer of the University of Sargodha Lahore campus, died in the custody of National Accountability Bureau (NAB). It has raises sever concerns, once again, on the process and methodology of the NAB investigations where physical remand means a licence to kill. Even the high profile accused such as former chief minister and sitting member parliament and chairman parliamentary committee on public accounts Mian Shahbaz Sharif, and member National Assembly Saad Rafique has already complained about the NAB’s process of investigations.

The recent two deaths of accused in the custody of NAB have necessitated the need to review its investigation process and methodology. Not only the government should immediately launch a judicial probe into the deaths in the NAB custody, the parliament should form a joint committee of the members from both houses, Senate and the National Assembly, to review the processes of the NAB investigation.

The NAB teams need to understand that they pickup those accused of corruption, not the convicts. And, they have no right to play with the lives of the accused ones and thrashing them into the inhuman conditions and maltreatment. The NAB investigators also keep in their minds that the suspects are the machines to dispense bribes for them to have ‘human conditions’ while they are in their custody.

Even after the accused are apparently proved guilty in the NAB investigations. The NAB should not have the right to practice third-rate and inhuman tactics for their further investigations and to collect evidences. The under custody accused should be treated as suspects only, not convicts. They have the right to have been treated humanely even after the Accountability Court has exercised its mandate to access the evidences the NAB found against the suspects and declared them guilty. Even after the court’s sentence, the government is bound to ensure the provision of reasonable living conditions in the prisons for its mates.

Perhaps, I am asking for too much from a society of uncalled for systems – the unsystematic systems. They are interpreted and being run by the morons at their wills and wishes. May be at the whims of their godfathers but for surely not according to the procedures and processes of law.

For sure, it’s the time for the parliament to come up with a strict framework of accountability for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to curb its high-handedness and to avert further loss of human lives in the custody of NAB and police, supporting the NAB prosecutions. Immediate thorough investigations should begin to probe the actual causes of recent deaths. Would it be too much to ask the government to form a joint committee of parliamentarians and judges in this regard?

The acquittal of Mian Nawaz Sharif from the Accountability Court (AC) in the ‘Flagship Reference’ for many it has been moment of pleasure and satisfaction while shocking for many too. The verdict in this case according to the law experts has marked many questions on the disqualification of the accused Mian Nawaz Sharif as prime minister. However, the AC verdict in Alazizia Steel Mills case has made the former prime minister to land in the Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore after spending a night in the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.

New fronts of argument and counter-argument have been opened to waste time of millions of people who are already confused to their limits. More than four months now they have been waiting for a ‘nayya Pakistan’ to bring them an ease and comfort of life. Instead they got price hike, chaos in society, revenge in the name of accountability and international intimidation and mockery despite all support from the domestic strategic institutions, judiciary and media.

Despite all odds and confusion at home, Pakistan played well once again for the US in a game-changing move. This time, Pakistan has facilitated successfully the long-pending US peace talks with Taliban, quite recently in Abu Dahbi.

Perhaps, I am asking for too much from a society of uncalled for systems – the unsystematic systems. They are interpreted and being run by the morons at their wills and wishes. May be at the whims of their godfathers but for surely not according to the procedures and processes of law

The first outcome was an announcement by the US President Donald Trump to pull a significant number of troops from Afghanistan, almost half of the 14000. As reported in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, a US official has told the media that the Afghan presidency was brushing off concerns the drawdown would affect security. The US troops in Afghanistan working either with a NATO mission to support Afghan forces or in separate counter-terrorism operations.

It was indeed a decent decision of the US government after having been engaged for almost 17 years in Afghanistan in the name of war against terrorism. The President Donald Trump’s ‘decision’ turned to a bubble that has been burst after the Pentagon statement not to withdraw the US troops from Afghanistan in near future. All positive aspirations for peace in the region have died down once again after the Pentagon statement. It endorsed the pessimist opinions that were coming up after the Abu Dahbi peace talks.

Even the Taliban spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid would not comment about the troops’ withdrawal when contacted by AFP. Perhaps foreseeing the actual result of the peace talks, he had to observe a silence on the question “Would you be thinking of a ceasefire if your main opponent has just withdrawn half their troops?”

Some of the Taliban folds welcomed the decision, saying “We are more than happy, they realised the truth. We are expecting more good news.”

But a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani downplayed the effect of any pullout. Haroon Chakhansuri said on the social media, “If they withdraw from Afghanistan it will not have a security impact because in the last four and half years the Afghans have been in full control”.

On the other hand, Afghanistan has released 9 Haqqani Network leaders from the prison of the Afghan intelligence agency in a bid to implement the Abu Dahbi peace talks.  The release of key  leadership is feared to further add to the strategic strengthening of the Haqqani Network while the Pentagon’s U-turn would flare up the situation further denting the peace not on in the region but globally too.

The situation leads to confusion that if the US is actually interested to lead the peace on the globe or just want to remain and enhance the armed conflicts in the region and beyond.  The global parliament – the UN General assembly and other global players need to define the accountability of such irresponsible behaviours of their nations too.

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, December 27^th 2018.