ACCOUNTABILITY DEFEATED
Prince Hamza does walk on water. The unprecedented relief by High Court merits no further discussion. Closest comparison is to El Chapo- the Drug Lord. Sharif family enjoys a strong sense of entitlement, and rightly so. They are beneficiaries of judicial protection as a legacy for services rendered to Gen Zia Ul Haq & a lifetime experience of granting and receiving favours – Mafia style. It is for all the wrong reasons. Let us examine where it is derived from.
The clan patriarch Mian Sharif was a skilled tradesman. He perfected skills to
convert steel from shady & dubious sources into sellable products yielding
riches. He also had another skill set. How to manipulate bureaucrats by
offering services, benefits and bribes. 4 decades ago such corrupt practices
were not a way of life like today. These skills honed over time and his levels
improved, yielding unbelievable results. He also realized that men in uniform
were simpler folks thus easier preys. His conclusion as a street smart operator:
Power in Pakistan emanated from the barrel of the gun.
Mian Sharif headed the family enterprise jointly owned by him and his multiple brothers. However he kept the management within his immediate family. Out of his 3 sons, Shahbaz was the workabee, Abbas was a ‘malang’ , Nawaz enjoyed good things in life, and was not particularly well disposed to hard work. He was the natural choice as the PR guy. He served uniforms well. More stars on the shoulders meant higher quality of service. He was catapulted into Finance Minister’s slot by General Jilani. Rest is his history.
Once in power a long term framework was laid – Mafia style. Undiluted personal loyalty was the qualifier. Inductions were made into Police, Bureaucracy, positions of authority. Lawyers were specially cultivated. Having a political platform of PML facilitated that. They were groomed and benefited through discretionary lucrative appointments. Then their path was massaged and manoeuvred to be inducted into Judiciary.
It is this master plan whose benefits they are reaping now. Justice Malik Qayyum receiving telephonic instructions is the ultimate example. Through corruption he accumulated vast wealth that can last 7+ generations. His illustrious son is now the Judge for all NAB matters. Appointed by whom? The Chief Justice who soiled his reputation by blocking Hudaibiya case, Model Town slaughter JIT. Icing on the cake is giving bail to a petitioner who never surrendered to the court. Hudaibiya would have demolished Sharif Empire leading to money laundering convictions. Model Town slaughter could have led to criminal convictions.
This saga will not end here. NAB can investigate whatever they want in Punjab, this escape route will nullify everything. Hence I claim Sharifs can walk on water. Supreme Court has to intervene. The golden legacy they have built since Panama to clean up Pakistan will come to nought. The Establishment needs to work its magic for Pakistan’s sake. IK has to figure out a way beyond being a bewildered bystander. My hapless friend Naeem Ul Haq invoking fear of Allah by tweets to the perpetuators is amusing. Accountability process has too many breaches and gaping holes. It risks being defeated.
METRO IN A HURRY
Then there is Peshawar Metro. It’s a classic case of PTI over committing and underperforming. It’s a rude reminder of being embarrassingly under prepared and lacking homework. PM Imran Khan is aggressive and takes risks. It is one of his endearing aspects and has contributed to his success. But his next tier of leadership should know better. They are responsible to complete due diligence, and carry out proper planning rather than taking actions to impress IK. There are design flaws in the project overlooked for expediency.
Social media is having a heyday pointing out these flaws. It seems Mother Nature is not helping either. Recent wind storm blew away parts of the buildings. Ministers sitting on electronic media trying to justify look like buffoons. It’s time for PM to step up. He needs to look into the matter. There should be no cover ups. If mistakes have been made they should be owned. No one is infallible. It is more important to retain credibility. After a proper study corrective measures need to be undertaken. At this point it is a dinosaur. It can’t be brushed under the carpet. If heads have to roll so be it. Someone has to pay and IK please don’t make the mistake of damning the underlings, it’s the honchos who have to pay the price.
RUNAWAY INFLATION
Asad Umar gets an ‘A’ for drawing comparison between Pakistan Economy and a cancer
patient. Apparently the current account deficit is down by 72%. Subsidies are
disappearing on gas and electricity. Kudos for all that. But he must realize
that patients after chemotherapy need strength restoration treatment. People
live in the present.
A pipe dream that will come to fruition 2 years hence is not good enough.
Profiteers and hoarders are having a field day through unforgivable price hikes.
It’s a criminal act. Government machinery should go into overdrive to break
this chain. Dollar value went up by 20+% since PTI formed Government, Rs 124 to
Rs 147. Medical companies have upped their prices by up to 200%. The same is
true for food items. Tomatoes at Rs. 140 a kilo is a
travesty in an Agricultural country! Mr.Umar
there is the other side of the coin. Economists and Agencies state the economy
is stagnating. GDP growth hovering around 3% is negative growth given our
population explosion. There is low investment that will cause unemployment. For
God’s sake Incentivize the local investor.
PM Imran Khan please launch your Reform Agenda, Police, Bureaucracy, Administrative
and other reforms. Let Provincial Governments spring into action. IK if you can
get semi-paralyzed CM Buzdar and KP CM to act, make them set up market
committees with powers to enforce. People’s anger may become more manageable. There
are always two price spikes, during Ramadhan and pre-budget. The time to act is
now. Verbal Promises will no longer work, people want to see Naya Pakistan
reforms unfolding in real terms to soothe their discontent and wrath piling up.
