Daily Times

Where would the process of selected accountability lead us to? This question is becoming more crucial day by day as Pakistan Tahreek e Insaaf government keeps fiddling around with everyone in the democratic system. Despite a thin borrowed majority in the centre and in the Punjab province, the government is going head on with the two major political parties in the opposition. What else could be the extreme misadventure other than trying to topple a provincial government merely on the allegations of corruption in a report of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT)? In most of the cases the JIT reports have been a host of evidently unproved allegations. So, the JIT has been disgusted not only for the accused persons but for themselves too.

The ‘Sindh Operation’ could have been fatal for the democratic process where allegedly the PTI was supporting a forward block in the provincial assembly. The rumours of governor rule were also in the air until the Chief Justice of Pakistan snubbed the government saying, “It won’t [take us] even a minute to scrap the governor’s rule if anyone imposes it”.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, who is leading a two-judge bench hearing the suo motu case, expressed anger at the inclusion of Sindh chief minister Murad Ali Shah and others on the Exit Control List (ECL) and questioned how the federal government could justify adding 172 individuals to the ECL.

The political mercury is dropping down in the Sindh province after the Supreme Court has ordered the federal government to review its decision to place 172 individuals including prominent politicians on the Exit Control List (ECL).

A Joint Investigation Team probing the money laundering case had held the Zardari and Omni groups responsible in its report submitted to the apex court last Monday. The report had also suggested that all the suspects in the case be placed on the ECL.

In view of the JIT findings, the federal government on Friday released a list of 172 suspects whose names were placed on the ECL. The list included Bilawal, Zardari, the Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, the presidents of a number of local banks, and other former ministers and bureaucrats.

Irked at the government’s move, the chief justice wondered how all these individuals could be barred from flying. “How can the chief executive of the country’s second-biggest province be put on the ECL?” Justice Nisar asked the attorney-general in attendance.

The irrational and impulsive decisions are not only making the government unpopular but also denting the political and economic stability. Apparently the government seems to have some other agenda in the garb of accountability and in a bid to wipe of corruption and white colour crimes. The double standards have shown the government’s discriminatory discretion; for the persons in their folds face the same allegations as some of the members in the opposition.

It seems that the government is immaturely pursuing the ‘minus formula;’ part of it has been successfully carried out by those who launched it. After the successful exclusion of Altaf Hussain from the mainstream politics of Pakistan and dividing MQM into many parts, and meting out the same to the PML-N and its leader Nawaz Sharif, the next logical target is the top leadership of Pakistan Peoples’ Party

It seems that the government is immaturely pursuing the ‘minus formula;’ part of it has been successfully carried out by those who launched it. After the successful exclusion of Altaf Hussain from the mainstream politics of Pakistan and dividing MQM into many parts, and meting out the same to the PML-N and its leader Nawaz Sharif, the next logical target is the top leadership of Pakistan Peoples’ Party.

There is no second opinion about the huge embezzlement of funds by the politicians having been in power, but why the focus is only on the politicians? Is it to create a space for the non-democratic regimes to serve the unruly external strategic objectives for the vested interest of some individuals in the state institutions? Politicians are put on trial and convicted publically for the charges of corruption. No action has ever been taken against those who corrupted the politicians, right from Islami Jamhuri Ittehad (IJI) to date.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has requested the Supreme Court of Pakistan to close down the almost three-decade old Asghar Khan case despite confessions from the characters involved in bribing the right-wing politicians against a democratic government.

But who will dare to concluded the case with concrete output. Sanity prevails with logical and timely ending of a case. Delayed for decades the cases of corruption and fiddling speak of hidden support of some state institutions. They need to check it within their folds too rather before blaming and executing others. The political victimisation and dismantling of democratic system in the name of corruption should end at a logical conclusion – accountability for all.

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, January 3^rd 2019