Thursday, October 4, 2007
   
 
If you can't beat them - join them!

By deciding to grant political indemnity for politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen by the government under the pretence of "national reconciliation" it is finally losing whatsoever face and credit it has had before. By this new ordinance also the last bid for any accountability in this country has been successfully put to rest.
The looting of Pakistan's resources by its leading feudal, political and bureaucratic families by now has created a situation where even the common man doesn't understand any more why he should live within his means and earn his bread honestly when all the bigwigs are filling their coffers and live a life of affluence while never any action is taken against them. This situation is well known internationally also where the donors experience the vanishing funds in any project; investors have to deal with rising corruption in any field of economic and administrative activity. In everyday life corruption, fraud and cheating is going on unabated. At any time and any place one has to be ready to face any of these criminal activities in our everyday dealings with shopkeepers, craftsmen, landlords or any other part of society. While each of us knows countless examples of smaller such incidents in our nearer surrounding, the latest big case has been without any doubt the artificial flour crisis in the holy month of Ramzan created by a combination of false reports about a bumper crop and illegal hoarding and selling of flour and wheat on higher prices to neighbouring markets by ruthless elements of this society all of whom will now be exempted from accountability under the cover of electioneering. This very government has been unable to deal with it because they themselves and their political allies are among those who are filling their pockets, which they justify as required to win forthcoming elections.
As a matter of fact Pakistan is excelling first and foremost in one field: it is holding a leading position in the list of the most corrupt countries. Recognizing this year before both the governments of BB and Nawaz Sharif had installed accountability courts in order to give at least a resemblance of 'justice' delivered in this country. But both of them failed in this endeavour miserably because neither of the two has any ill feelings about their own corruptions or those of anybody else and the only aim of the whole exercise was to find a way to cut to size the respective political enemy. One of the first initiatives taken by the Musharraf government was to install a National Accountability Bureau in a renewed bid to deliver justice in this country. This time the high claim had been about across-the-board accountability without political victimization. This pledge had soon to be "put into perspective" by taking the army and the judiciary out from the process. Yesterday's "national reconciliation bid" now closes the door upon this chapter of any future Pakistani accountability also to bring the plunderers of national wealth before the bar of justice. The strong desire for power of this government finally has successfully overcome all moral scruples, if any, and judicial hurdles. The "indispensability syndrome" of the current civil and military leaders has resulted in an unholy alliance of the power-hungry and corrupt to the core. Any small thief or cheater can now feel relieved being much less harmful than the ruling elite in the government and opposition: current and future! So they say, "Rishwat laiker pakra jaa, aur Rishwat deker bahar Aa."

Ali Ashraf Khan,
Karachi.

   
   

  

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