The investigations into the NICL scam leads to scions of corrupt politicians, who in the past have been part of the ruling elite with a history of such organised financial bungling that were pushed under the carpet in the name of politics of convenience. Politics of reconciliation now extends only to live and let live by ignoring financial fraud crimes against the state, or the poor unfortunate citizens of Pakistan and letting such thieves off the hook. In return, the sitting government expects others to do the same when they are in power.
While this has eroded our national economy and driven it to a state of perpetual bankruptcy, families have become billionaires in dollar terms, while the state has no funds for health, education, welfare and socio economic development. Instead of direct taxation the state has resorted to indirect taxation, thereby putting the burden on consumers and giving relief to the rich.
In the case of NICL, the leads that have appeared in the press point to cooperation across the political divide to rob the state and than divert all these funds to foreign bank accounts. The son of Musharraf’s former minister for defense production is the son in law of another former federal minsiter, whose father was very close to Zia and is notoriously known for his Uganda connections. The partners of the scion of former federal minister are the scions of the Makhdooms of Sindh and the former chief minister of Punjab, whose family has previously got away with Co-operatives Scam. There can be no hope for any reforms in this country until those accused of robbing the state are convicted, punished and the looted assets returned to this unfortunate nation’s dry coffers.
Today the scions of the present ruling elite from South Punjab, Sindh, Pakhtunkhwa and Central Punjab have surpassed their parents with their dare devil scams which shock the imagination. White collar crimes are difficult to prove when they are committed under cover of ruling elite, law enforcement agencies and state prosecuting agencies.
In America Al-Capone, the mafia don from Chicago, was sent to prison for tax evasion because nobody would dare to become witness to his other crimes. In Pakistan, with no witness protection program, a corrupt bureaucracy and equally corrupt politicians or khakis who conveniently find sanctuary in foreign countries for themselves or their ill-gotten assets, there seems to be no political will to put a stop to this conspiracy to rob the state and get away with it in the name of political reconciliation. People look up to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, but what can it do by itself when those assigned the role of security guards join up with the robber.
MALIK TARIQ
Lahore
