Daily Times

We are in the state we are in is because we have been compromising on targeting corruption; now it has become a part of our lives. The penetration is so deep that it has subverted society to the extent that the corrupt do not hide their corruption anymore. In fact, they flout their newly acquired wealth by riding along in SUVs accompanied by several police mobiles as escort, sometimes with sirens blaring. One geriatric master corrupter occupies the august office of federal ombudsman with impunity. Consider the state of morality of a nation that allows the undeniable high priest of corruption to continue in this high post.

Reader’s Digest published a full article during Ayub’s rule in the 1960s about the extent and mode (at that time) of corruption. Cars, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc, by the dozen were ‘gifted’ during the weddings of the children of bureaucrats. Indeed, they never seemed to lose in card games, leaving the tables always with bundles of cash. Today, the corrupt have villas in Dubai and apartments in London and New York. One has an apartment in Manhattan worth almost $ 10 million, bought by the ‘kitchen money’ saved from his salary as a Pakistani bureaucrat. The card table has been replaced by the stock market; the gyrations in the share prices may make many lose their shirt but our ‘players’ always make money.

There are strong indicators that the corrupt are being (or going to be taken) to task for corrupt practices. At the moment, widespread corruption and poor governance in Sindh is being targeted by the Rangers and law enforcement agencies duly armed with requisite powers. Some leaks of interrogation have revealed enormous amounts as kickbacks but what about the principal beneficiaries? It is an irony of fact that in the past the army, or at least its hierarchy, which was conducting the inquisition and prosecution, ultimately ended up becoming part of the system. No wonder the public fears ‘the Musharraf syndrome’: after some time it will be business as usual. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) functioned like clockwork from 1999 till 2002 but then what happened? Those benefitting from Musharraf, including those getting undeserving promotions in the army, would like us to forget that Karachi became unlivable because he allowed the MQM’s militants to run riot in the city. At what cost have the Rangers restored sanity to this city? Have we such short memories? Where is the conscience of such people forgetting all the innocents who died at the hands of target killers? And who gave us the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)?

Among the many factors that go towards the creation of an efficient anti-corruption regime are (1) stringent anti-graft laws and (2) a truly independent agency strictly enforcing those laws. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ehtesab Commission seems to have set an excellent precedent arresting Ziaullah Khan Afridi, the serving provincial minister for mines and minerals on charges of issuing land contracts illegally and misuse of authority in July this year along with others. Because an accountability process in Punjab has not been initiated, cleansing Sindh alone gives a feeling that no corruption takes place in Punjab. This creates a perception of discrimination, not surprisingly making the ongoing anti-corruption drive controversial. Crime and corruption must be tackled wherever it may be and whoever is found guilty of indulging in it must be held accountable and punished.

The Metro Bus Projects in Islamabad and Rawalpindi are certainly cases of mega corruption. The cost per kilometre is double and even triple the amount similar projects cost in other countries. The enormous budgets allocated were exceeded even before a portion of the construction work was completed. The Musharraf government awarded the Nandipur Power Project without inviting open bids and many glaring lapses were hidden by the project’s management team under the present Punjab regime. The project is likely to cause a loss of Rs 30 billion per year if made operational at the given rate, with an expected loss of Rs 6.5 per unit at full capacity. With the names being bandied about perilously close to the rulers there is doubt whether a transparent, impartial and fair probe will be conducted and those responsible will be held accountable.

The PML-N closet is brimming over with skeletons; the MQM and the PPP are not the only parties guilty of corrupt practices. With culpability about the Model Town murders still looming over him, Rana Sanaullah appears entangled in many other controversies. The father of the federal state minister for water and power, Abid Sher Ali, alleged that a man in custody told the police that at Rana Sanullah’s behest a Station House Officer (SHO) had killed 20 people. No ‘smoking gun’ connects Rana sahib, as is being alleged, but he does have a knack for being regularly on the wrong side of the law, quite a feat for the law minister of a province. When an illegally built plaza belonging to Rana Sanaullah came to light in the media, the Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab set up a joint enquiry committee but the committee never met; do not hold your breath about the findings! His kin, the Punjab education minister, rejected allegations claiming that television footage showing him taking a bribe, which he said was “fabricated”. An enquiry into the multi-billion rupees corruption in the Barragar construction and repair project held the irrigation secretary responsible and he was promoted to a more lucrative post!

After Punjab Home Minister Shuja Khanzada’s assassination in July this year, the Rangers began a covert operation against all banned terrorist organisations in Punjab. With many mega scams reported in the press and incidents of corruption coming to light, a cleansing operation against the corrupt to bring accountability to Punjab as is being done in Sindh is a must. Punjab has become a fit case for a Karachi-like intervention by the security agencies. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s call for an anti-corruption operation in Punjab led by the Rangers as in Sindh was rebuffed by Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. Former Prime Minister (PM) Yousaf Raza Gilani accused the government of discrimination and political victimisation of the PPP. He claimed that a list had been handed over to the PM naming some among his inner circle. He asked why no action had been taken against the incumbent rulers if indeed there was a truly fair accountability drive in the country.

Instead of politics as usual, the Nawaz regime should start cleaning up their house themselves. An imminent anti-corruption and accountability operation in Punjab may put them next in the line of fire. The federal government’s existence then could well be in danger.

The writer is a defence analyst and security expert