Articles of the year 2016
Published on October 01st 2016
The situation in Pakistan is taking a dangerous and frightening turn.
On the one hand we have a Prime Minister who imagines himself as a Monarch, of all he surveys, and is surrounded by courtiers determined to do his bidding, and to praise lavishly every breath he takes, reinforcing his infallibility. This has also led to the belief that all the others are wrong, and are outside the box.
By taking control of all the institutions Nawaz Sharif and by reducing the National Assembly to a farce, there is no check upon his behaviour. As Prime Minister he does not heed his opposition, nor does he obey the financial laws of the land. The commissions on transactions cannot be challenged by the Income Tax, nor can enquiries be initiated by the NAB, as both are directly answerable to the office of the Prime Minister, as is the election Commission. All the wrongs done by the Nawaz Government including the Model Town murders are not being investigated. The Police department is staunchly behind the Nawaz Government, and so no enquiry can be carried out under his tenure. Similarly the Speaker of the Assembly will support the PMLN, unequivocally .All these lead to a mono party state, with no controls. The inherent dangers, are in the misuse of power by the leadership. As is apparent in the present PMLN rule. NAB has given a clean chit to Nawaz, which will protect him from being tried again for the same crime! Nawaz has indeed covered most of the bases.
From the above it is logical to assume that the people at large will also arrive at the same conclusion, that is that the PMLN is indeed ahead of the PTI, and is not guilty of any wrong doing. The Pakistan Army is also under the same impression. And so we have a polarised state, with both sides firmly committed to their positions.
The only option left to Imran’s PTI is to take to the streets. This will be opposed by those in favour of the PMLN, who are convinced that all is indeed well. It is also quite clear that as the PMLN, commands 60% of the vote, the Pakistan Army will also have a similar vote for the PMLN. This is possibly the reason for Gen Raheel not moving.
That may also be the reason for the PTIs hesitancy. In this situation, the PMLN has won the political battle, and we may have to await the coming of another Messiah.
However the political success of Nawaz will be responsible for his downfall. As the people in Pakistan tend to get carried away by their success, Nawaz is assuming the monarchical mode. His Gullu Butts are practicing their baton charges, with increasing menace. All too reminiscent of the Brown shirts of the Nazi era. Casting Imran as the hapless lamb surrounded by the Nawaz Hounds baying for Imran’s blood. Even Maryam Nawaz, has assumed the regal posture as her right. As indeed has her father’s residence in Mayfair. Unfortunately for Nawaz, the tax hounds are not too far away, and catching up fast. Herein lies the difference between Imran and Nawaz.
Imran had no pretensions. And never made any claims whatsoever. Whereas Nawaz has spent most of his life creating an aura of hardwork to gloss over the corrupt political moves that built his empire based on commissions on huge government contracts granted to his own companies, which could never escape a closer scrutiny. Unfortunately the Sharif fortunes will be caught in the new wave of anti corruption laws that are the rage worldwide. Even the Swiss banks will soon be handing over the documents of the once-so-secret-accounts. The Zardari millions now tainted with the foul smell of corruption, suddenly unfashionable, and may even be responsible for landing the owners into jail with long prison sentences. The robber barons of old have been cast aside, and new rules established. Criminals of old will find acceptability difficult, and certainly not allowed into the political mainstream. Political dynasties of old will have to be laundered very effectively to remove any telltale clues of a shady past. The Income tax hounds are closing in, and Nawaz Sharif stands to lose his immunity as soon as he is removed from his Prime Ministership. This immunity will leave him at the mercy of many criminal and civil charges, and of course the income tax laws. The Tax officials that have been kept at bay, will close in with a vengeance when they realise that Nawaz and Shahbaz will be out of power for a long while.
The 18th Amendment will also have to be revisited, and the immunity clause will have to be removed. This clause has by itself caused much grief and loss to Pakistan. No Pakistani should have immunity, in fact our politicians should be disqualified for the smallest offence, for it is our law makers that are our biggest lawbreakers! A case in point are the low taxes being paid by our parliamentarians! The do not deserve immunity.