It’s about precedents
Imran Khan’s revelation – about Shaukat Khanum treating an Afghan Taliban commander – raises important questions. Hospitals should not be concerned with patients’ religious/sectarian, ethnic or even intellectual leanings. And it would not be just in bad taste but also border on criminal if emergency staff first cleared serious patients of terrorism charges then proceeded with treatment. Also, there is a clear difference between a foreign militant – from a group that has found favour with the government – anonymously seeking treatment and a hospital allegedly treating gang war victims knowingly. Yet PPP’s demand – that Imran be arrested just like Dr Asim is under long detention – was to be expected.
Of course the People’s Party Lahore wing does not expect the government to nab Imran following PPP’s Jan4 protest. But they have, once again, raised the obvious question about the operation’s obsession with one city, party and, indeed, one man. How much longer, for example, will the Dr Asim drama linger without any quantifiable results? And how long, for that matter, before the operation’s long-term direction becomes clear? The centre has fought for Rangers’ stay and powers in the south. But when will similar ‘indiscriminate’ justice come to other provinces, especially Punjab where the same party holds office? The government is setting precedents all the time, and some are becoming cause for concern.
There is a need to bring further transparency and clarity to the operation. Zarb-e-Azb has been in play for some time now, and it can’t be long before the principal military phase is completed. The civilian government needs to be prepared for the moment when it becomes increasingly intel-intensive and concentrates on the political-militant nexus in urban centres, just like Karachi. On that score the federal and provincial governments have left a little to be desired, to say the least. The Karachi operation – which has been very successful – is also seen becoming more political with time. Hopefully the authorities will correct course before it is too long, so real work can get done instead of needless political scandals, like the one now raised by the Taliban treatment in Lahore.
