Malik Riaz takes out the holy book
He promised an explosive set of regulations and that is what he delivered. Real estate tycoon Malik Riaz spilled the beans yesterday in a set of documents, followed by a press conference.
The set of allegations were scandalous indeed. The businessman felt the need to bring out the Holy Book. It was a very small copy; so small, that he felt the need, during the press conference, to unzip the jacket and give proof of the contents. The growing predilection in our neck of the woods to present sacred texts to vouchsafe one’s word is tiring.
Where we go from here is to be determined by the Supreme Court. The case is ongoing and it is their lot to take all facts into account. As is well-known, the judiciary does not go about investigations. Depending on the nature of a particular case, the court can order investigation agencies like the FIA to look things over and come back with a report. The court could even constitute a fact-finding commission. This particular case, replete with submissions and evidence, is a ripe candidate for either of these two approaches.
Another aspect of the case that doesn’t directly the decision itself, one that has been elucidated by some from the legal community, is the wisdom of taking a suo motu action on this particular case. This isn’t a case of fundamental rights.
On to meta-issues: Another aspect of this particular case is the involvement of the media. This very editorial space also treads carefully over areas sub judice. The Pakistani airwaves are reverberating loudly with the specifics of the case itself. So deeply entrenched is the media in the issue that Malik Riaz saw it fit to go to media personalities rather than the court itself. What is kosher and what isn’t?
There is a case, in our judicial system, which doesn’t have a jury-from-the-peers but a professional adjudication service, for there to be no bar, by and large, on the media discussing these issues.