Brutus remains an honourable man!
A very dear friend of mine, and someone I respect a tremendous deal, is from the city of Jhang. Some months back, when Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri (also from Jhang) made his fiery speech in Lahore, followed by a long-march that (almost) threatened the prospects of election and democracy in our land, I called this friend to get some insight into Dr. Qadri’s theatrics. My friend just smiled, and did his best to make some sense of the political turmoil. Some weeks later, when the savages of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi massacred hapless Shias in Quetta (and in Lahore), I called my friend again, who (despondently) explained the painful history of the militant organization’s inception in Jhang. This week, as the story broke that the Federal Education Minister (who is from Jhang) may have conned his way to an Intermediate and Bachelor’s degree, I called my friend again. Picking up the phone, before I could say anything, he reminded me that the people of Jhang were merely ensuring the old Chinese curse – may you live in interesting times!
Politics, all across the world, is a messy sport. In Pakistan, it is no different. The lives of our politicians are often nothing more than a long string of scandals. And, for better or worse, as a nation we have come to allow and accept this reality. We recognize that some degree of mudslinging and skeletons in the closet are perhaps an unavoidable cost of doing business. But every once in a while, something so outrageous is unearthed, that there is virtually no frame of reference that can rationalize it. The latest of such allegations is that Sheikh Waqas Akram, the Federal Minister for Education, and a fiery critic of all parties and personalities that have previously been riddled in controversy, has dubious education credentials. The irony of that assertion alone is Aristotelian in nature.
Background first: it was alleged in a television program, and in a leading newspaper report, that the Education Minister “obtained” a Bachelors degree, without having passed the Intermediate examination. This could have been dismissed as simply the antics of a few reporters and media personalities (on their own, or at someone’s behest) to defame the honourable Minister. However, the allegations included entrance slips, roll-numbers, years of graduation, institutional records and ECP details. In light of these, the allegations were distilled to the following: a) the honourable Minister purportedly passed his BA examination from Punjab University in 1997, but with a degree that was issued on 27.11.1996, b) the BA degree of the honourable minister bears no Roll Number, c) the roll number, as well as the full name, of the honourable Minister in his admission forms and University gazette are different, and d) the University gazette shows that the honourable Minister failed different subjects of the Intermediate examination in 1995 and 1996, but still somehow obtained a BA degree within 12 months of that (in 1997).
Additionally, it has been reported that ever since the honourable Minister has been in the Parliament – first with the ruling party under Musharraf regime, and now in coalition with the PPP – efforts are being made to ascertain the veracity of his educational records, but the relevant education institutions have no cooperated in the same. And now, with the honourable Minister being in-charge of the Education portfolio in Pakistan, there seems to be no hope of his subordinate institutions producing implicating evidence against him.
And Brutus remains an honourable man!
We do not live in a political culture where allegations, substantiated with some degree of proof, are reason enough for men of substance to resign, and clear their name before assuming public office. So there seems no reason to enter into that debate.
In the aftermath, the honourable Minister has raised a lot of hue and cry about these allegations being nothing more than a malicious rumor, and has threatened with a suit for defamation and damages. However, till date, he has produced nothing to substantiate his clamor. If there is no basis to these allegation – none – then the honourable Minister should have no trouble simply clarifying the record through documentation, and clearing his name in the process, but the same has not happened. Instead, his retort has been to lash out at those pointing fingers at him… perhaps forgetting own his past conduct of doing the same to others.
In the spirit of education, the honourable minister will be well advised to keep in mind the spirit and necessity of open and free criticism of public officials (of which, he is one). While the allegations must necessarily be proven through the due process of law, the constitutional right to free expression continues to be a powerful medicine in a society as diverse and populous as ours. It is not just our right to use it; it is our duty to do so. The immediate consequence of this freedom (of speech and press) may often appear to be offensive, but it must be viewed against the background of a profound national commitment to the principle that debate regarding such issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, even if it entails vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials. A rule compelling critics of public officials to guarantee the truth of all assertions – and to do so on pain of libel – would deny the breathing space necessary for democratic discourse.
The nation is abuzz with election fever. And the past many months have been spent haggling over the powers of the Election Commission, the contours of Article 62 and 63, the meaning of being ‘righteous and amin’, and disqualification of parliamentarians based on dual nationalities and fake academic degrees. All of it would have been an exercise in futility, if a concerted effort is not undertaken – starting March 16th – to follow the full measure and due process of law, in ensuring that that our next set of parliamentarians are free from petty strife of this sort.
The writer is a lawyer based in Lahore. He has a Masters in Constitutional Law from Harvard Law School. He can be reached at: [email protected]
