Daily Times

We as a nation do not care about so much tyranny being perpetrated upon us, but we pride ourselves for being resilient — the right virtue at the wrong time. We deserve the political mafia ruling us and leading us to an abyss. With this preamble, just the same, if we wish to become a truly sovereign nation we have to become self-reliant. The immense tide of mega-corruption has to be dealt with effectively, and at the same time, timely justice has to be provided. Yes, this is a tall order but there is no other way out. This country is blessed with immense resources. A way has to be found to share them among all of us keeping basic norms of justice well in view.

Loans and sovereignty just cannot go together. Loans are meant to finance corruption. Basic initial steps to achieve sovereignty require avoiding loans, ruling justice and proper use of development funds. It sounds as a simple three-step plan but it is an uphill task in Pakistan to achieve. Question is can we stop taking loans to reduce levels of corruption? Beggars cannot claim equal status as that of benefactors. Negotiations are only between equals. The beggar being referred to is the worst type by selling a nation’s soul to the devil. The latter is relishing the situation. The beggar has agreed to do anything to get alms and not arms. Beggars get ‘loans’ by selling country’s interests. About 92 percent of loans are lost in corruption; most loans are at six percent real interest, making an effective rate of 75 percent. The Saudis awarded the highest civil award to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his very first visit to Saudi Arabia. Modi is no beggar. He did not go there to beg for favours. He went there to negotiate deals in national interests. There were discussions between two sovereign nations and not loan deal arrangements.

Secondly, it is paramount to make sure that laws of the land are uniformly applied for all irrespective of political or administrative status. Justice is a joke here. The law of the land must be applied in every case of mega-corruption and uniformly for all segments of society irrespective of the status. Look at the case of Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was found guilty of “abusive” and “humiliating” treatment of an employee last week when a former maintenance worker won damages of 24,000 pounds. The Israeli police are conducting a separate inquiry into whether she misused public funds to pay for luxuries at a private home. By Pakistan’s standards, it is not even a case of mega-corruption, but the Israeli justice system is poised to spring into action in the spirit of nipping the evil in the bud.

Even the current Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali believes that justice system needs a major overhaul. The prosecutors, more often than not, deliberately weaken cases of mega-corruption to let culprits off the hook. Culprits obtain stay orders, and the matter eventually gets hushed up. The Asghar Khan case has been pending for about 20 years. There has been no movement during the three years in the Model Town killings case. A commission was formed to make sure the matter becomes a dead issue. There is no justice in this country. This gives the rich and the powerful to indulge in mega-corruption. Why is it so difficult to provide justice in these two cases to begin with as a confidence-building measure by the judiciary and gain respect of civil society? Presumption of innocence is a principle of crucial importance, as is the privacy of suspects. This equation changes, however, when the suspect in question is a public figure.

The next step is to devolve powers with safeguards to local bodies in letter and spirit. Parliament is for making laws and for no other purpose. Development is plagued with corruption and nepotism and linked through poor systems. All institutions must function within their mandated constitutional limits. The main function of any parliament is to make laws. They should have nothing to do with development funds. If they are interested in the development of their areas, the honourable course for them is to resign their seats and get themselves elected from the local bodies. The latter should get all powers including policing, and basic law and order for their respective areas.

A stake in development should be created for all people in their own areas. Knowing the mindset of our politicians, they will make a beeline for local bodies rather than national and provincial assemblies. Similarly the executive should be made to feel secure free of any influence of other institutions. Meritocracy should be actively pursued. We as a nation are not short of bright and talented executives. They should be accorded all opportunities to achieve their immense potentials. This should provide space for development at macro level like scientific research, higher education, major development projects and so on.

If these steps are not taken, we shall have to accept the servitude of devils to which the corrupt political mafia have sold our souls. We are systematically deprived of our basic rights like health, education, food, and housing and, above all dignity.

By pledging that the US drone strikes are regrettable and must stop as they are a threat to the sovereignty and security of the country, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has sent an unmistakable message to the outside world that the country will step up its efforts to safeguard its sovereignty. The reckless US defence strategic move have brought more risks and challenges to region’s security and prompted General Sharif to respond and react in a timely and effective manner. In these circumstances, the Pakistan army is entrusted upon to play a bigger role. Hence, there is a pressing need for the COAS to improve its army’s surveillance capability and make it a priority in its national strategy.

The writer is a professor of psychiatry and consultant forensic psychiatrist in the UK. He can be contacted at fawad_shifa@yahoo.com