Daily Times

Nusrat Javeed says the recent ‘charge sheet’ against Nawaz Sharif contains material he saw in 1990. Professor Obed Pasha says the deep-state is using Panama to ‘take control of the lucrative CPEC to further expand its empire.’ Rauf Klasra says Nawaz Sharif is a conspirator for having colluded twice with the establishment. The season of conspiracy theory has begun.

I have written four articles on Panama in Daily Times. All have been widely read and shared: see my article “Panama, the Supreme Court and the Future of Pakistan.” This is the last one. Like all four previous ones, it neither defends Nawaz Sharif nor blames Imran Khan. It does raise questions about much larger, systemic issues. Essentially it argues: Until we change the rules of the game, Pakistan will not develop. Above all, it answers my critics, who ask why I seem to defend a ‘corrupt’ Nawaz Sharif and criticise an ‘angelic’ Imran Khan.

I have great admiration for Imran Khan, largely for winning the World Cup for us, and for setting up a cancer hospital. More recently, I admired his candid and in my opinion difficult admission that in 2013 he was not ready to become Prime Minister. I said the same thing in 2013, only to be roundly browbeaten by my hyper nephews and nieces.

Alas, my praising or criticising Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan is meaningless. I am lucky to have been trained at Oxford and INSEAD. Rigorous study of literature, history, management and engineering under the tutelage of world-class professors has inculcated in me the importance of understanding systems and processes before examining individuals.

Based on the above lesson, I will make my major point by way of a quote from Rauf Klasra, my favorite columnist, who I agree and disagree with in equal measure. He has once again provided me with great data when he recently ripped into Nawaz Sharif. If you think I will prove Klasra wrong, you are mistaken. I will actually support Klasra this time.

Pakistan is facing existential challenges. Give democracy a chance. Allow Pakistan to develop. Lift hundreds of millions out of poverty. Support our valiant armed forces in becoming better trained and equipped

Klasra argues that Nawaz Sharif has been a conspirator throughout his career. He conspired against his own Prime Minister Junejo in the 1980s. Then he conspired with the establishment to become Prime Minister in the 1990s. I do not have proof of all this, nor do I have proof of allegations made by Nusrat Javeed and Professor Obed, quoted in the first para. But I assume Klasra is right. I even agree with him when he makes his much larger point: If today Imran Khan is seen as conspiring against Nawaz Sharif, what right does Nawaz Sharif have to blame Imran Khan when he himself has been doing the same thing?

Now assume the Supreme Court forces Nawaz Sharif to quit. Assume the PML-N disintegrates. Assume a new set of rules is brought in. Assume Imran Khan becomes the Prime Minister. Assume even that Imran lives for 15 or 20 more years and does very well for Pakistan in the areas of economic and foreign policy. Like other patriotic Pakistanis I will support him.

Here is my question: What is the guarantee that at that point a new JIT will not be formed against Imran Khan, accusing him of lying over a) his Bani Gala house (it is illegal as of now) b) his money trails (big questions have been raised) c) the existence and legitimacy of his daughter and d) many newer issues that will have cropped up in the next two decades? Will then another person conspire against Imran Khan? Do you see my point? Where will this vile chain of conspiracy end, I ask Klasra and the rest of Pakistan? When will the loss of trillions of dollars to our economy come to an end?

If this cycle of removing the plant of democracy, by finding ever-new collaborators against incumbents or by outright takeovers, every ten years to see whether the plant has sprung roots is continued, how will democracy grow? I am not even saying that democracy is better than dictatorship. Frankly, Pakistan will develop either way, whether it is handed over to democracy or to the establishment for at least 100 years. I do not care, so long as there is one owner of stakes, one long-term elite, for at least 100 years. Having said that, I do think democracy is the safer choice, for reasons of management and not ideology.

Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif are both conspirators. Both are also tragic heroes. Like any good Greek tragedy, these two protagonists of our play carry flaws. But these flaws have been nurtured, if not planted, and magnified multiple times by a ruthless system that grooms and installs flawed heroes only to strike them with lightning when they become too big for the system to handle.

You want Pakistan to develop? Stop doing this. Stop turning Imrans and Nawazes into conspirators. Agree on any set of rules, but stick to them. Removing Nawaz Sharif now will only reinforce the flaws of the system, wreck Pakistan’s economy and stability, and increase corruption. And it will attach the albatross of conspiracy to the neck of Imran Khan forever.

Pakistan is facing existential challenges. Give democracy a chance. Break the Klasra-Cycle as detailed above. Allow Pakistan to develop. Lift hundreds of millions out of poverty. Support our valiant armed forces in becoming better trained and equipped. Lessen extremism and terrorism, which will also help the rest of the world.

All eyes are on the Supreme Court.

Dr Aamir Khan won the President of Pakistan’s Gold Medal at the Civil Services Academy, Lahore. He has studied at Oxford, INSEAD, Cranfield and CEIBS. He has served as a diplomat in China.

Published in Daily Times, July 22^nd , 2017.