Handle with care
It seems already that Dr Asim Hussain’s arrest is the first of a trend indicating that the Karachi Operating is moving onto PPP-related corruption. It has got the co-chairman issuing strong statements from London, not the least because of the arrest warrants issued for Yousaf Gilani and Amin Faheem. Push is clearly coming to shove, therefore, as far as the party is concerned. It seems Nawaz Sharif’s promise to MQM recently, that the operation would become more wholesome very soon, is now coming out true. Yet this phase will need far more finesse if it is to be completed smoothly.
Now PPP, like MQM before it, is trying to make a case of being unduly targetted. That is, of course, the most natural political recourse for a party still struggling to find its feet after the last general election. But it would not have had the opportunity to muddy the waters had Hussain been picked up after due process, instead of marching plain clothed agency officials into his office, without warning and after surrounding the premises. Now there will be cries of political victimisation, etc, that will waste the energy of officials involved in the cleanup.
There can be no denying that corruption, just like militancy, needs to be taken head on in Karachi. For far too long those in power have been accused, with good reason, of running virtual Mafia gangs; bolstering their political penetration with financial dealings and militant muscle. And now that the authority is finally cracking down on them, it is important for it to be in complete accordance with the law. Anything less would not only reek of undue political influence, but also weaken the operation as a whole. Despite consistent opposition and roadblocks, the Karachi Operation has built a lot of momentum. The government must ensure everything is done to keep it on track, especially now that it seems expanding.
