Mubarak Ali Baloch
Of 200 million population of Pakistan around 60 million people are living below poverty line. International poverty line threshold is $1.90 a day. Bulk of the rest of the population is also not living in luxury. Education is in doldrums, law and order situation fluctuates, sectarian fabric is not smooth, terror acts, though subsided, have not completely died down, political stability is still a distant dream, despondency is evident in jobless youth bulge, performance of judiciary needs no narration in the face of existence of military courts, power crisis is deepening, institutional strength is weak giving way to forces having vested interests and of course there appears to be no plan in sight to address all these. But the rulers and their cohorts do have plans to wade through unscathed murky waters questioning their integrity. Strategies to multiply their riches by further enriching these with stashed public money is probably working well. Absence of accountability is facilitative to such activities. Ruling clique appears to have gone incorrigibly deviant and their revels have no bounds.
The records of Mossack Fonseca, Panamanian legal firm, was obtained by German Daily Sueddetsche Zeitung and communicated to certain media groups. Panama leaks brought to public notice the details of wealth amassed by a number of world leaders. Though American politicians/ leaders are not in the leaks and this is understandably mystifying. Prime Ministers of Iceland and Ukraine stepped-down. Prime Minister David Cameron feels shaken after a massive protest was staged against him. Prime Minister of Pakistan had to address the nation on this issue and tried to defend his business empire. Rest of his team in the government is also struggling to make PM’s sagging profile refloat. Opposition leader and his party have probably found symbiotic comfort in view of myriad corruption allegations against PPP’s leadership. This nexus to abet each other will probably work and would go a long way in fizzling out the steam gathering in the wake of Panama panic. Imran Khan, Chairman PTI, seems to be justified in his protest against alleged corruption and money stashed in off-shore companies being owned by Sharif’s sons and daughter. PM’s exoneration of this scam or of complicity to it appears to be unlikely. Some of the political commentators are logically putting across their point of view by arguing that how a retired judge as a head of Judicial Commission would carryout an honest probe. Hesitation of government in announcing a ‘Judicial Commission’ to be headed by a serving judge of supreme court to investigate the swindle shows that water is genuinely murky.
Such harrowing stories normally stand overshadowed in the event of disturbing incidents related to law and order as media turns to latest news and generates views on that putting the other burning issues despite having national importance in back burner. Public trust on the political leadership blesses the political system with unmatchable strength because when it comes to the people, they would ultimately defend their right to self-rule in a democratic culture. On the other hand, strong institutions backed by an educated nation generate genuine weight compelling the rulers to step-down in the face of aspersions on them but in Pakistan this has never been the practice. Here judiciary or some other forces brought the rulers / governments to end in the past. Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif is apparently under tremendous pressure and is wishing to see the Panama panic to dissipate. He is leaving for abroad to undergo certain medical check-up but it is believed that leaving abroad is a tactic to disappear from the radar till pressure subsides. The source of money generated matters despite any justification but stealthily taking it away and keeping it in off-shores is both morally and ethically questionable. How the leaders can convince others to invest in Pakistan while themselves are stashing away the money. This is simply absurd and illogical. No country flourishes in any sense while this malignancy persists. Political leadership of country must do away with dishonesty and uphold the principle of uprightness so that nation is not hoodwinked.
Though the veracity of the information released in leaked papers is not questionable yet few theories are underscoring the time these leaks took place. The time factor has much importance particularly in case of Pakistan. Which are the forces invisibly behind these leaks and what are their interests? It is believed that elements unhappy over CPEC must be behind these leaks. If a turmoil is successfully created in Pakistan in the wake of these leaks CPEC would stand badly scuttled. This is what such forces are probably in search for.
Executive is engrossed in corruption and its malignant growth has disabled it to make the institutions vibrant for the larger interest of the country. Unfortunately this is not happening. Rather despondency is now creeping in populace and driving it hither and thither with pronounced criminally deviant behavior witnessed in almost every tier of society. A deviant executive can not correct the deviant populace. And this is simple logic. Breaching the public trust creates sense of disenchantment giving way to forces inimical to democratic spirit. This is the loss which should be feared. Lamentable part of the episode is the dishonest behaviour of the rulers undermining the public confidence in them. In the face of immoral and unethical immunity the rulers of this country enjoy, common-man is questioning the detention of deviant sections of society (having no political or forceful clout) their trial and punitive action by governmental institutions. Law should be invoked irrespective of the status of characters. “No one is born as criminal but the circumstances mothered by the inaction of so-called governmental institutions drive people to go criminally deviant” said one outlaw inhabiting in riverine Kacha area. Weak institutions shape weak social milieux. And then the personal strength of an individual makes him powerful to bulldoze all statutory logics.
