The more they try to explain their position, the harder they find to defend themselves. Almost a fortnight after Ch Nisar Ali Khan raked up the issue of Raymond Davis, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif offered to resign if the allegations of his complicity in the release of the CIA operative and his dramatic departure from the country are proved.
Prove me guilty and I will quit. This was the operative part of the hurriedly-called press conference he addressed soon after he returned from his sojourn in Britain. The rest of his talk was laced with clichs: Its time we broke the begging bowl and learnt to stand on our own feet else the Raymond Davis-type incidents would continue to occur; we must resolve to end reliance on foreign powers and extricate ourselves from exploitation and servitude.
Mian Shahbaz had made some valid objections to the federal government indulging in foot-dragging on being advised to implicate Davis on the charges of spying. That the authorities at the Interior Ministry just looked the other way when he flew out of the country while his passport was still in the custody of the Punjab Government is something that cannot go unnoticed. There also remains a question mark on the Ministry constantly ignoring the letters received from the provincial home department seeking its intervention for the recovery from the US Consulate Lahore of the back-up vehicle which ran over another citizen.
The CM, however, left some questions unanswered about the role of his own administration. Davis had murdered two citizens but wasnt booked under the specific provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act. It is difficult to understand why it was so when the law could be invoked against parliamentarians, lawyers and people from a cross-section of society for demonstrating for their rights. Then there has also been no explanation as to why the killer had been provided the kind of facilities which are not allowed to ordinary prisoners under the Jail Manual. By the way, whose responsibility was it to try the CIA contractor for impersonation when investigations had clearly indicated that Davis not only traveled to Pakistan incognito but also used many other fake identities in the country?
Mian Shahbaz was right in that no government in the past had ever dared lay hands on an American citizen involved in such a heinous crime and can claim credit for not only arresting Davis and initiating a murder case against him but also for consigning him to prison despite pressure brought to bear upon him for releasing the assassin or shifting him to the Governors House. It takes a lot of nerve to defy orders coming from you know where. For that, he deserves appreciation. But then his party cannot escape the blame for having quietly surrendered Aimal Kansi to Americans during the Second Nawaz government.
The problem with the CM is that the burden of a guilty conscience makes him give explanations not really needed. That he left for London just ahead of Raymond Davis departure from Pakistan was a mere coincidence. Why did he feel compelled to explain it over and over again that he proceeded abroad in emergency to attend his ailing brother and that it had nothing to do with the release of the detained CIA contractor? And why did he start pointing an accusing finger at the federal government for having manipulated the whole affair when the PPP leadership doesnt blame his government for being part of any conspiracy.
As far as Mian Shahbazs insistence that the prosecution continued to resist the release of the American spy till the last day of the hearing of the case by the trial court is concerned he needs to spare some time to read the judgment delivered by the Additional Sessions Judge. But the CM cannot avoid taking the blame for the role his administration had played in facilitating the prompt departure of Davis from the prison shortly after the court had acquitted him in the double shooting case. Makhdoom Javed Hashmi can tell how long it normally takes to complete the documentation before the jail staff can allow a prisoner to walk out of the prison!
The CM has very rightly distanced himself from his closest buddy Ch Nisars demand for constituting a judicial commission to expose the facts behind the release of Raymond Davis. Probably he understands that the best choice though is to keep the Pandoras Box closed. Its no use opening it unless you have the courage to call a spade a spade. Mian Shahbaz knows he hasnt. Its time he focused on improving the matters of governance in the Punjab where everything is rotting from top to bottom; and its happening on his watch. He cannot leave it all to an incompetent administration that needs a thorough overhaul.
The writer is Executive Editor, Pakistan Today.