Daily Times

The prime minister’s late night address to the nation was no more than a throwback to Imran Khan of the container days. The much-trumpeted address, which was delayed for hours, was painfully devoid of substance. Millions of people remained glued to TV screens for hours hoping for some relief measures the chief executive of the country would announce personally. All the prime minister did was announce the establishment of a high-powered commission under him to investigate how successive governments borrowed Rs24 trillion over the last decade, thereby bringing the country to the verge of bankruptcy. Making light of the august office he holds, the prime minister named political opponents (former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari) and their families of money laundering.

His statements and claims raise questions instead of offering any answers. Now that his party has in power for almost a year, who or what is stopping him from taking action against the corrupt and eradicating corruption? What the people have seen over the last year is the National Accountability Bureau arresting people (mostly from the opposition parties) and keeping them in custody for months until courts run out of options and grant them bail. Instead of empowering the accountability watchdog, the prime minister wants a commission under him to probe the alleged corruption by his predecessors. Who will stand by the commission’s report? The prime minister himself has a record of rejecting such commissions and their work. Does he no longer remember his rejection of a commission’s report validating the results of the 2013 elections?

Which law allows the prime minister to describe a suspect as a convict? If he believes a NAB arrest is sufficient to vindicate the charges, he had better abolish the courts. Also, should NAB start arresting people on account merely of inquiries against them he will soon find his party shrinking rather quickly. There is a NAB inquiry pending against himself for the alleged use of a public helicopter as a private person.

The prime minister once again heaped scorn on the Charter of Democracy and called it a charter for corruption. Using state media to settle personal scores is unbecoming a prime minister. He can mouth his criticism of political rivals at public rallies. If he is serious about eradicating corruption from the country, he had better bring about legislation to reform the institutional watchdogs and start by nailing the corrupt in his own party. *