Daily Times

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwarts were in London to meet the party leadership that was declared as ‘godfathers of the Sicilian mafia’. London has been the seat of conspiracies of the Pakistani mafia. The city has been the seat of conspiracies for a long time. The Charter of Democracy (COD), which later proved to be the ‘Charter of Dacoity’ was also signed there by the then two mainstream political party leaders, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif). It seems that the end game for corrupt politicians is near. In the words of Shehbaz Sharif, Imran Khan desires to eliminate the opposition. No sir, he has a firm resolve to weed out the corrupt, which in itself is the most daunting task. Political cleansing is the way forward.

One of the first acts of the elected government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto in 1971 was to move out of the British Commonwealth of Nations. It was an important step in our journey to freedom. He wanted to break loose from the colonial masters; a special term was also coined, “Daam-e-Faran se rehai” (freedom from the foreigner masters). When the democratic era ended in July 1977, Zia-ul-Haq decided to rejoin the body of the colonised nations.

At one time, London was the capital of the world. It was said that the ‘sun never set on the British Empire’. The Indian subcontinent was considered the ‘Jewel of the Crown’. Most Indian politicians always had a special affinity to the capital of the Raj. Corruption money laundered from the motherland has been parked in London. Pakistanis own expensive properties in the city for which money trails are not available. London has become a haven for the unscrupulous that have robbed their own nation.

This time it may be the swan song for the corrupt. Corruption is entrenched in the ‘land of the pure’; the country has been denuded much beyond its sustainable limits. The threshold has been crossed. The tainted individuals are on the run with nowhere to hide except London, where now the sun sets every day. Gone are the days of the empire.

The crusade against corruption is now unstoppable. Now it is clear that the lawyers’ movement in 2007 was funded and conceived by the ‘COD walas’. In order to save his presidency the fourth usurper agreed to let the corrupt return through the infamous National Reconciliation Ordinance. Musharraf was not only deposed, he has been tried under Article 6 of the constitution and sentenced to death.

Leave London for the Londoners and the looters who belong there. Our inspiration should come from Medina, the most humanistic city of the world

The ‘council of the Sicilian mafia’ is in session to formulate their future strategy. Three issues are being considered: appointments in the Election Commission, amendment in the Army Act and agitation against the government. All these efforts are directed at stalling or stopping the process of accountability. It is a test of nerves. At the finishing line, stamina would be the deciding factor. ‘Kaptaan’ is known as a fighter. He will not give up till the last ball has been bowled, or as they say in the USA, till the fat lady is called to sing the closing song. Mafias don’t die easy as they are crime hardened and know how to survive. In the USA, the dreaded ‘Scarface’, Al Capone, the mafia boss of Chicago, remained untouchable and earned the title of the ‘Teflon Gangster’. Common law was unable to convict him so the Internal Revenue Service got him on assets beyond his declared sources of income. He was convicted and died without completing his term of sentence.

The PML-N was a product of Zia controlled GHQ. With their long stints in power they have succeeded in developing deep roots in the administrative machinery of Punjab. Over the years they have mastered the art of manipulating the electoral process. The Election Commission of Pakistan has a key role in any electoral contest. As the entire exercise has major logistical challenges, this time around most nominees have administrative not legal background, which is a good sign, but then neutrality will be a factor.

The Army Act has gained significance as the once ‘friendly’ men in khaki have moved away from the corrupt politicians. Files of the intelligence agencies are full of their misdeeds. As corruption is being weeded out, the GHQ is not siding with the COD walas. Another three years of hostile environment would be deadly for the political parasites of the country.

Agitation has always been low on the agenda, as the PML-N is a party of profit not passion or ideology. It has the resources or ‘diesel’ to fuel agitational politics but does not have the muscle required for street power. Funding for the street protests would be considered as was effectively done for the lawyers’ movement. Public mood would be tested.

The people of Pakistan, those with an open mind, though disappointed with the slow relief by the current government are not willing to bring back the looters. Pakistan has to move forward; there is no going back to the old ways. The evil of London should not be allowed to derail the democratic process repeatedly. As a nation we have to move away from the capital of the colonisers who exploited us and skimmed our resources. Now that the societal gains of ‘Riyasat-e-Medina’ are being discussed we must start looking into that direction.

The focus has to shift to our Islamic roots where the biggest revolution of mankind took place over 1,400 years ago. Leave London for the Londoners and the looters who belong there. Our inspiration should come from Medina, the most humanistic city of the world, where everyone is polite and kind, and is willing to help and facilitate humanity.

The writer is Ex-Chairman Pakistan Science Foundation