PPP’s defiant attitude

In order to hinder federal government’s action against criminals and terrorists, last week Provincial Assembly passed the Sindh Criminal Prosecution Service (Constitution, Functions and Powers) Amendment Bill 2015. The bill will enable the provincial government to withdraw any subjudice case including in the Anti-Terrorism Court. The MQM members strongly protested in the House when the senior minister Nisar Ahmed Khuhro after introduction of the bill tabled a motion to relax rules to allow the consideration of the Bill. Earlier, MQM member also protested when the deputy speaker chairing the house did not allow the leader of the opposition Khuwaja Izhar to table a point of order. Last month, the Sindh government had formally told the federal government that it cannot follow the recent direction on the unconditional policing role of the Rangers in Karachi, adding that the Centre’s move is an attack on provincial autonomy besides a violation of the Constitution.
A Ministry of Interior official said that a two-page Sindh government letter had conveyed to the federal government, which read: “Your letter (giving powers to the Pakistan Rangers under the ATA) is in complete disregard of Article 147 of the Constitution and contrary to the Resolution passed by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh. Hence, the Government of Sindh cannot follow the same,” the letter said. Defending the provincial government’s decision of setting conditions for Ranger’s role, the letter said that Article 147 of the Constitution empowers the Sindh government to impose any or all conditions, as it deems appropriate. PPP’s Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari also has had defiant attitude, but after arrest of Dr. Asim, he had gone berserk. There are many reasons for PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari to be upset. One of them is imbibed paranoi that corrupt are likely to face the music.
He is putting up a brave face for his remarks about military, but he must be ruing in his heart, as even the PML-N, the signatory to the Charter of Democracy, stood by the military. For the last eight months he is mostly in Dubai or England and at the present in the US. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had described Asif Zardari’s remarks as inappropriate, and other leaders were also critical of his remarks against military. On the first of Ramadan, Asif Zardari had invited political parties on Iftar, perhaps to seek their support or help in salvaging the situation. However, almost all the participants advised him to avoid confrontation with military and keep his cool. Ch. Shujaat advised him to withdraw his statement. In the CEC meeting of the PPP, the members endorsed Zardari’s speech, but in media PPP leaders Farhatullah Babar and Qamar-uz-Zaman Qaira tried in vain to interpret his speech.
Sherry Rehman, Senior Vice President of the party had said: “People’s Party holds General Raheel Sharif in high esteem, and lauds his role”, adding that Asif Zardari was critical of the past military dictators. But even a layman could understand his insinuations and open threats to military establishment in his speech. He lashed out on military establishment for overstepping its domain and said: “Stop character assassination of PPP; and if we start then don’t know how many Generals will be exposed starting from inception of Pakistan to date.” What he was trying to say was that nobody including military should question the PPP leaders for their involvement in corruption. The fact remains that Rangers were deployed in Karachi on Sindh government’s request because it had failed in controlling the criminals, extortionists, target killers and land mafia in Karachi. Hence; they were given all powers of police.
That point besides; Protection of Pakistan Act 2014 states: “Any person against whom there are reasonable grounds that he acts under the directions or in concert or conspiracy with or in furtherance of the designs of an enemy alien will also be treated as a militant.” In this backdrop, law enforcing agencies have the right to raid, search and arrest the backers of militants, extortionists and those who provide funds to the terrorists. COAS Raheel Sharif has said umpteenth time, that action would continue. PPP leaders are crying hoarse that military and its agencies are not authorized to go after those involved in white collar crimes. The question can be asked when the ministers and government functionaries are involved in corruption, are they working within their domain and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution?
There are many reasons for Zardari’s frustration. For one, the PPP had been almost routed from Punjab, KPK and Balochistan in 2013 elections, because it had failed to deliver during its 5-year tenure. In Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir also the party is over. During its last tenure, PPP’s image was tarnished because of Swiss Bank scandal, Memogate Scandal, mega corruption scams related to Rental Power plants (RPP), Pakistan steel mills, Railways, PIA and National Insurance Company limited etc. On the street, it is only derision and scorn for the corrupt politicos that swirl from end to end. In 2011, the Supreme Court in its verdict on Karachi had stated: “Banned outfits including Sunni Tehreek are involved in extortion, while there are allegations of the same offence against parties such as PPP, JI, ANP and MQM”. The civil and military leadership is determined to eliminate terrorists and those aiding and abetting or funding them; and no amount of legislation by the provincial government can save them.