Prime Minister Imran Khan must be appreciated for keeping his word and not only ordering a thorough probe into the recent sugar and wheat price crises but also making the reports public. That he has done it at the risk of alienating very crucial friends and allies and opening himself to attacks from within the ruling party as well as the opposition means that a very important precedent has been set; one which the Pakistani political environment is not used to. All that remains is for the detailed forensic report to come out later this month and then the law must take its course. And given the prime minister’s personal interest, this matter can be expected to come full circle pretty soon. The opposition’s criticism is understandable as well as expected. Why would it not try to score points because of some of the names mentioned in the reports, and the proximity they have had with Imran Khan over the years? But the kind of attacks that have come from sections of the media are a little more difficult to understand. Shouldn’t the fact that the prime minister took action because the people were being exploited and robbed under his watch, and is not willing to spare even his personal friends and important government allies, be appreciated; even celebrated? Nobody needs reminding that for far too long Pakistan’s biggest problem has been corruption, especially in and around the highest offices in the land. And decades of democracy have only entrenched the trend of looters and plunderers, as the PM calls them, playing musical chairs with the seat of power. Finally there is a bit of a refreshing counter-trend. The media, being an essential pillar of state in the 21st century, should rally around such developments instead encouraging criticism for the sake of criticism and, of course, ratings. Once this case is completed, people in the habit of abusing power will at least begin to feel a little vulnerable. Such steps are also essential to begin to change the global impression that Pakistan is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The media, therefore, must join the common man in not just appreciating this exercise in dispensing justice, but also demanding similar action across the board. Nobody who has misused public office, stolen from the government and hurt the people should be spared the full force of the law. *