No country for poor, rich men
When Pakistani faithful and media were yet struggling to drag themselves towards the harsh realities of life once more after Eid holidays, a godsend apparently came their way. They appeared back in the business right on the first day, thanks to Malik Riaz of Bahria Town, who is now seen coming to the rescue of (his) people fairly frequently. After all, what can be more appropriate a time than the conclusion of a month-long Ramzan lull during which both the nation and the media starved like anything for anything juicy.
But anyway, the questions now are: how serious the matter is and how long will it maintain the attention of the people? Like the twisted reputation of Malik Riaz himself, there are more than one ways to explain this development. The first one is the much talked about Arsalan Iftikhar reason – which gets a casual mention in the FIR too. But why would someone attached or related to the son of the former Chief Justice do a stupid thing like that. Everyone knows both the father and son got away with the previous ‘wrongdoing’ with difficulty and that was when the father was still in the big chair. This is something hard to digest, except as an attention-diversion tactic, and, of course, giving a suggestive twist to the saga, aimed at tarnishing the image of judiciary as an institution that can pass unfavorable decision against his business empire any time.
Some people say it might be related to the time-tested Malik Riaz-Chaudhry Nisar rift that keeps coming back every now and then. But you can’t expect matters between two shrewd and as a matter-of-fact ‘who’s who’ in their respective domains to willfully come to such an ugly impasse. Despite all the shortcomings, the current Interior Minister doesn’t enjoy the reputation of a man who can stoop so low to engage in real-time blackmail, nor would the moneyed tycoon like to resolve matters with him the way he has now adopted.
So, can it be the result of DHA-Bahria Town clash of business interests? And by using this issue and these men, Malik sahib intends damage to DHA which created hurdles for him in Karachi? Rumours of ‘some tussle’ between the two giants are talk of the town these days. After all, both are engaged in the same business and one’s gains here are losses for the other. Plus, there are some unresolved issues between the two. But then how on earth would people whose association with DHA can be established in a court of law come to receiving shakedown from the head of the rival business group? Doesn’t it look like a bit too odd?
That’s why some of the observers suggest taking everything on the face value — accepting that someone was really bothering and blackmailing this one of the wealthiest and most powerful men for so many years, to the extent that there was no other option left for him except to seek the help of law – and to go public before that. Sky won’t fall if we accept this but that will give birth to so many new questions instead of answering some that already exist. The most important one of which would be: who were those mortal individuals who had the guts to enter the dragon’s den, ask for money and get away with that? And not only that, but who had the skewed gumption to come back and ask for some more from a man who is known to have no stomach for digesting nonsense from anybody who lives within the sovereign geographical confines of the country called Pakistan, be it its sitting Chief Justice? The man, they say, is not so simple/straight that his words can be taken at face value, nor is he so weak to be blackmailed that easily – and that too, without any genuine reason.
But whatever the truth is, two things become clear reaching this far: one, there was something awfully wrong on the part of Malik Riaz which made him yield to the blackmailers’ demands; and second, that the culprits were just front men for someone(s) more powerful. Having said that, we have to confront questions like these:
a) What was it that Malik Riaz wanted to hide and which made him pay such hefty amount?
b) Who are those nobodies?
c) Who did they work for then, and who do they work for now?
d) How is it possible that these same people are in blackmailing position after the change of entire political, military and judicial setups?
e) Why did Malik Riaz keep silent for two years and why has he chosen to release edited 2013 video clips and not the more recent ones when the alleged culprits came knocking at his door with fresh demands?
f) Are those reasons no more there which compelled him earlier to pay in cash a sum of Rs50 million under/over the table? Then what is all the fuss about if the reasons to worry about have disappeared?
g) Does he want to settle old scores with the former Chief Justice but then why did he wait so long? And wait, are there really any old scores on the part of Malik Riaz to settle with Arsalan or is the case the other way round and we are made to believe otherwise?
h) Is he telling the truth that those nobodies have come back to blackmail him again or there is something else which he wants to achieve through this calculated move?
While your guess can be as good as mine, these questions, particularly the last one, bring us to an uneasy and unpleasant place where many would fear to tread as parties on both sides of the divide and seeking answers to disturbing questions from them may prove to be dangerous; you may inadvertently step on someone’s toes in this Jurassic Park. Does it come as any surprise then that most of the anchorpersons who spare nobody, except the army, stayed away from taking up such a ‘ratingly’ burning issue the day it made news?
According to some, the matter is not like any other such issues brought to the courts by individuals all over the country day in and day out. It may not prove to be simple either. Some believe that the move is in anticipation of an adverse decision of the apex court in the Rs62 bn DHA Valley case. They are of the opinion that this, in fact, is a case of reverse blackmail and coercion of a national institution which Malik Riaz is not doing for the first time.
Another speculation is that it may have something to do with the larger domestic political scenario – civil-military divide, so to speak — and that Malik sahib may be doing somebody else’s bidding – but not wholly. The dangerous move, if successful, can be beneficial for the bidder too. However, we will have a clue once some information comes out about who the alleged people have links with, to whose disadvantage they can spill the beans and how much beans do they have in their pockets. But then we may not know the actual story if it involved some sacred cows or if the actual purposes are different from those publically sold. In that case we shouldn’t be surprised if some time from now the matter ends up in some secret out-of-court settlement – just like the one reached last time between Iftikhar Chaudhry and Malik Riaz.
The move might become a prelude to money vs khaki and testing Zardari’s political policy of making and letting others make money left, right and centre to challenge the dominance of those who have intruded permanently into civilian political sphere through unlawful use of legally sanctioned means – guns, manpower, organisation, etc. If there is any truth in the idea that Malik Riaz’s move can be part of testing ground for some bigger political game, then keeping the existing political realities in mind the only good news can be that the losing party is not conceding defeat without a fight; that it will go down fighting. As for the winner, there shouldn’t be any doubt in anyone’s mind.
When Shahzeb Khanzada asked Malik sahib why he paid money to the blackmailers if he wasn’t involved in anything unlawful and why he is hell bent on corrupting everyone, the blunt man very innocently said that ‘this is a very strange country where neither you allow the poor nor the rich to live’ — and prosper the way they want.
