Nothing gets fixed

In a moment of introspection, soldier/statesman Sahabzada Yaqub Khan identified three causes of Pakistan’s problems. On the external front, he said, we have the misfortune of facing a hostile neighbour many times Pakistan’s size. Internally, Sahabzada lamented the failure to carry out land reforms, which had led to the perpetuation of the feudal system. More importantly, our systems have gone from bad to worse. A predominant attitude of ‘mitti pao’ meant that nothing was ever fixed, he added.

So here we are, facing the perverse outcome of almost seven decades of ‘mitti pao’ and of sticking our necks in sand. A pervasive culture of impunity means that those in power can build fortunes by unfair means, get away with it and expect the nation to look the other way. Seven decades of impunity have firmly set the country on a path of regression, rather than one progress. The rulers are intent on spinning tales and hoping that time will find solutions.

The present rulers have only added to the steady erosion of institutions that has gone on for too long. But it so happens that the PML-N applecart, chugging along since May 2013 at a somnolent pace, has just run into a huge trawler called the Panama leaks. It can no longer think of other pressing matters, as the Panama Papers have turned the government into a lame duck. No wonder the prime minister is beseeching the people to be kind to him. Survival comes before all else.

The Panama Papers fallout is three dimensional: legal, moral and political. The PM is arguing that neither he nor his wife have been mentioned in the leaks, and his sons residing abroad have not committed any crime by setting up offshore companies.

The opposition, especially Imran Khan, hopes to prove that the money invested abroad was initially transferred from Pakistan. He wants the prime minister to step down, pending a probe by the chief justice of the Supreme Court. Bilawal has asked the prime minister to resign and defer to parliament for future course of action, despite the fact that the PPP, overwhelmed by its travails in Karachi, has agreed to a probe under the supervision of the chief justice. The party, tainted by charges of corruption and cases, hopes to use this leverage to relieve the pressure that it has been facing.

While the PPP does not want the democracy boat to be rocked, Imran, on the other hand, is playing for higher stakes. This is his second campaign against Sharif, after the first met a natural death. He feels he is on surer ground this time. Luckily for him, the Panama Leaks came when the PTI was gearing for a show of force on the 20th anniversary of its launch.

Nawaz Sharif’s embarrassed mien during his televised address has energised the PTI to turn the celebrations into a nationwide clarion call for the removal of ‘corrupt rulers’. Imran thinks that the Panama Papers have provided the much-needed smoking-gun to harass the Sharifs. He will not accept any probe unless it takes place in the way that he has suggested.

Nawaz has decided that he must stick to the legal approach and has asked that he be considered innocent until proven guilty. This approach overlooks the political and moral dimensions, which are no less important. The Sharif family has always had a problem comprehending that they have been entrusted with leading the nation; their growing business fortunes present a serious clash of interests. At the least, the two brothers should have ensured that family holdings and profits do not escalate during their terms in power.

There is a small problem though. The Sharifs can claim, as they indeed do, that they enjoy the people’s trust, leading to their repeated victories at the polls. This is a conundrum that Imran has tried to explain by allegations of rigged elections.

The fact is that the PML-N has a large vote bank in Punjab. One should also not underestimate the power of patronage that the PML-N – like the PPP and the MQM – has acquired by virtue of staying in power for decades.

Imran hopes that a level playing field would win him many more votes – and then the bandwagon effect can turn to their benefit. Alas, Imran’s agitator style of politics leaves much to be desired. He has used belligerent and disruptive methods to bring down the government, rather than steadily working to win the hearts and minds of the electorate. The effects were visible in a string of defeats in the by-elections.

Just as the political parties are going about business as usual, the army chief has taken a high moral ground by attacking corruption and publicising the disciplinary action against some senior army officers. Stopping corruption is the new tagline, while ‘save democracy’ or ‘martyrs of democracy’ seem to have lost their shine.

There is little doubt that the civilians have failed to instill accountability into the political system. However, when Gen Musharraf saw his hold on power wavering, he brought in the so-called National Reconciliation Ordinance to prolong his stay at the helm. Questions are now being asked about his acquisition of properties in London and Dubai, when his legitimate wealth is estimated at only a fraction of these investments.

In a nutshell, the beneficiaries of massive corruption are as free as before. There is too much impunity and too little retribution.

Email: saeed.saeedk@gmail.com