The NAB effect

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Editorial
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15
162

Accountability? Really?

 

Nawaz Sharif’s tough talk in Bahawalpur the other day has brought NAB into the limelight for all the wrong reasons once again. It is still not clear, for one thing, why the Sharif brothers would sound the alarm so loudly, except for the obvious perception that the Bureau might be about to bring some accountability to PML-N’s provincial domain. But that, as has been noted, would imply that the Sharif-Zardari arrangement to place a compliant bureaucrat with a yes-man history at the top of NAB turned out not so smart after all. And that, in turn, would obviously mean that elements more determined, at least, than the government have begun pulling the strings of the accountability process.

Typically, though, things are not so simple. Ordinarily only the corrupt would have a problem with NAB encroachment. And since the N league claims complete purity – political and financial – they should have little to worry about. But there are elements about the type of accountability NAB is offering that even the not so clean have few problems. The voluntary return and plea bargain system virtually amounts to letting the corrupt walk free after turning over a mere fraction of the looted sum.

Interestingly, there is little by way of punishment – no matter how grave the excess – except disqualification from public office. That means those with no intention of holding such office, or those that have retired, are simply exempt from accountability simply because of the contours of the model. In real terms our process of accountability promotes a system where the corrupt are forgiven provided they take a small hit to their numbered accounts and their already limited public pride. Therefore even if there is a committed hidden hand pushing forward the process, there is little to hope for intrinsically. There is an urgent need to streamline NAB otherwise accountability, however sincere, will achieve little except controversy.

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15 COMMENTS

  15. Your assumption that the new-found courage by the NAB may have been caused by powers more mighty than the government pulling the strings of the accountability process, appears just about right.

    And you are also right when you say that since Nawaz Sharif claims complete purity – political and financial – of his government, he should have little to worry about., unless of course the situation is not like what he presents it to be.

    However, what comes out of it – if it really comes out of it – will depend on the real intentions of those who are mightier than the mighty ones.

    It is quite possible that in order to dispel the impression that the exercise against corruption is Sindh-focused, they want it to be started in other provinces as well, and may be quite happy seeing a few low-level individuals found guilty and punished.

    On the other hand, if they really meant business, the mighty ones have to display a level of commitment which has not been visible outside of Sindh yet.

    We remember how Dr, Tahirul Qadri was running around, trying to get an FIR registered, which fairly described the events that took place, and resulted in the killing of his over a dozen innocent workers at his Model Town Secretariat, The report also named the persons Dr. Qadri considered guilty. And then the army chief stepped in, called Dr. Tahirul Qadri for a meeting, and helped registration of the FIR exactly as Dr. Qadri wanted. So far, so good.

    But what was not all that good was to find out how easily the Punjab administration buried that FIR, deep under the soil, and replaced it with an investigation report which cleared the top people of all guilt.

    I sincerely hope that the present move is not a repeat of that sort of performance.

    Karachi

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