Daily Times

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was doing great until the former prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and some of his close aides were being grilled quite roughly for the inadequately defined and comprehended accusations. Apparently Mian Nawaz Sharif was disqualified as prime minister on the allegations of concealed assets in one case that was merely receivable. In the second case, he was punished for receiving money from his son that court presumed is ‘not proportionate’. The decision has set the direction that now onward the courts of Pakistan would decide how much money a son would transfer to his parents.

Strange act of ‘justice’ was seen in the last about two and a half years of investigation and prosecution the NAB and other courts conducted. All were enjoying the playful monkey justice around their opponents without realising that the same could be repeated against them too. Senator Pervez Rashid, Ahsan Iqbal and others repeated the same fears in their media talks time and again. No one took it seriously.

The united opposition had a unanimous stance against PML-N top leadership. Even the opposition supported the Pakistan Tahreek e Insaaf government in many direct and indirect ways to grilling the top leadership of the leading party. The opposition played every card to intensify the so-called accountability of Mian Nawaz Sharif, three times a prime minister and a son of an accomplished business family. The opposition did it in quite tricky ways despite being on the same page with the PML-N in terming the new forcibly installed government as the ‘selected’ one by the establishment.

Would the NAB scope be extended to accountability for all state institutions or some sacred cows would be left to Almighty for their ultimate accountability when it would be of no use for the nation?

The hue and cry by the opposition and partially also by the government against the NAB discriminatory discretion seemingly justified. Perhaps now they have realised the NAB has turned  intoa ruthless horse and everyone in the political arena only would be caught by the thumb. Both, the united opposition and the government, should realise that the NAB is not doing anything abnormal with them. The NAB had already set many ‘accountability examples’ and has attained rich experience by grilling the PML-N top leadership.

Disintegrating and dismantling of the leading and strong political party was not an easy task. The NAB is still struggling to complete the unfinished agenda with the support of the mainstream justice system and other forces – a dangerous game plan.

The spark to reform the NAB act is not out of proposition. But, the realisation is too late and seemingly too little. Still the stakeholders are not clear about the way to lead to. A consensus to reach to is still a far cry though the revamping of the NAB is becoming the most essential political agenda.

What could be the initial thought for revamping the NAB? Who would do it and how? A million dollar questions the readers would ask. Would the NAB become a thorough professionally just institution after the supposed and proposed revamping? Would the NAB scope be extended to accountability for all state institutions or some sacred cows would be left to Almighty for their ultimate accountability when it would be of no use for the nation?

Government, supposedly, is having a fling with the undemocratic forces and the opposition fiercely opposing the government actions, would they be able to stretch the noose to the accountability of other strategic and state institutions? We can only hope for a strong and a fair NAB; indeed that is a vital need for the national prosperity and fair image.

For the time being, the NAB should avoid undue controversies and conflicts. It should also reach out to other segments of society and also focus on the state institutions. Not all are angels in the judiciary, bureaucracy and even in the folds of the forces and the security agencies. Some of them claim to have their own accountability mechanisms. But the general public had never witnessed the prosecution and execution of convicts by their mechanisms. There shall be only one system of accountability for all allegedly corrupt, whatever state institution they belong to. They should be treated as public criminals whatever uniform or dress they wear or whatever public office they hold. They should face the same music as the politicians and sitting premiers have faced so far. The accountability systems should ensure that all the sacred cows should be sacrificed now and onward without any discretionary discrimination.

The NAB chairperson Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal also joined the chorus of voices defending his institution and saying that it would go about its accountability drive regardless of the official rank of the person involved. Excellent Sir, please stretch yourself to the sacred cows too. What has prohibited you to take up the long awaited 456 cases named in the Panama Leaks? Putting these cases on the back burner for long now putting many questions on your ‘accountability drive’ that for sure has been limited to some selected politicians. Perhaps you cannot deny justifiably the apprehension of injustice that is strongly visible in the NAB actions, and it won’t serve towards a fair image of the institution that we need indeed.

The writer is an Islamabad-based policy advocacy, strategic communication and outreach expert

Published in Daily Times, January 14^th 2019.