Pakistan’s military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq is on a state visit to Vanuatua in the South Pacific. The prime minister introduces Zia to the finance minister, the foreign minister, the agriculture minister, the railways minister…
Zia interrupts: “Why do you have a railways minister when there are no railways in Vanuatua?”
“Why do you have a justice minister in Pakistan?”
This decades-old political joke is not very much divorced from reality even in today’s Pakistan. At the time when national newspapers were carrying front-page banner-headlines on Musharraf’s mysterious departure from the country and the top command of PML-n was “unpleasantly engaged in an internal rather unusual conflict” over who from the government side had facilitated Musharraf’s name exclusion from the ECL and why, the Panama Papers proved a bolt from the blue. Murphy’s law, “if a thing can go wrong, it will”, once again proved to be true. The knee-jerk reaction from the embarrassed PML-n side was more than hilarious when minister-for-all Punjab Rana Sanaullah simply termed the documents false and unauthentic. The tide was gigantic but the defence was very weak. Panama leaks had exposed faces of many world-leaders who had hidden their treasures offshore and the debate was global rather than national in nature; hence it was an uphill task for n-League’s media handlers to manage. Here came the calculated argument from the men under mammoth misery: ‘What is illegal in having offshore companies?’
The embattled House of Sharifs started asserting: “We did not do anything illegal”, “It is hardearned money, not ill-gotten wealth”, “Imran khan’s SkMCH also invested in offshore companies”, etc. Yes, having an offshore company is not illegal and every businessman has the right to earn more by exploring new available avenues. They also reserve the right to invest on alien lands for more lucrative outcomes and their right to expand their business empires also stands undisputed. But the businessman who invests in other lands of opportunities and securities loses the moral authority or right to invite others to invest in his country.
This scandal’s moral implications are deeper than its legal and technical details. On the one hand, nawaz Sharif appointed the special envoy for investment and trade to pull international investment to Pakistan and has also personally visited dozens of countries luring tycoons to come to Pakistan for investments and on the other has either failed to convince his own sons for the same cause or willingly advised them to stay away. The purity of your commitment and loyalty to this country becomes questionable now.
Cognitive dissonance. January this year, Prime Minister nawaz Sharif said: “Pakistan’s corporate friendly environment makes it an attractive destination for foreign investment.” He was inviting the Sri Lankan businessmen to explore the opportunities particularly in energy and infrastructure sectors. “Pakistan would soon become a strategic hub of economic activity” and invited the Sri Lankan businessmen to visit Pakistan and see themselves the possibilities of doing business… (our) government is keen to overcome energy shortage and was setting up feasible power plants to cater to the electricity needs for next 15-20 years… Sri Lankan investors should tap into this potential and also consider setting up coalbased power plants.”
Hussain nawaz says, after narrating tragic tales of his family’s plight in the wake of 1999 coup, that they were compelled to invest in the UK.
“We wound up our business established in Saudi Arabia during years of exile and moved to Englandm,” he said.
When you could wind up a successful venture of Saudi Arabia to invest in Uk, what barred you from winding up Uk’s business to invest in Pakistan when your family returned to their home in 2007? Your immediate family comes to Pakistan, they contest elections, make government in Punjab and join PPP-led coalition government at centre in 2008 and you still feel insecure in bringing your wealth to your country to invest for the greater national interests?
Interestingly, Mr Hussain too used to believe in the past that both brain-drain and flight-of-capital were harmful for Pakistan. In an interview given during exile-years to senior journalist Sohail Warraich (Book: Ghadaar koun), Hussain nawaz laments the fact that they, under compulsion, had decided to establish Al-Aziz Steel Mills in Jeddah. “See Saudi Arabia is our brother country… here we have friends but who is facing the loss? Pakistan faces the loss. In Pakistan we use brain-drain (like) words… when professionals migrate to US, Canada, Uk and Germany… in the same manner if you will force your industrialists out of country who will be facing the loss?”
I am least bothered about the legal and technical details of the issue and even if it is assumed that each and every penny invested offshore by the Sharifs is legitimate, the moral and ethical questions regarding our leaders’ commitment and loyalty to the country and nation remain indefensible. The Guardian once reported a beautiful anecdote of Margaret Thatcher: “Historian Andrew Roberts said he had had lunch with the former PM in 1997: When she sat down, a waiter asked her if she wanted English or French mustard. She cried “English!” as if he had questioned her patriotism.”
While aggressive opposition, particularly the PTI and some section of media, are hastily drawing immature conclusions from the leaks — that these offshore companies of the Sharifs prove their plunder and theft — inaction on behalf of the Sharif family to show their legitimate money-trail makes them more guilty. People are asking about the money with which the empire was built in no time in Uk. Just counter-attacks on Imran khan and his cancer hospital will serve no purpose and perception management job can also not be done with abusive attacks of Mr Daniyal Aziz.
In a bid to lock the genie in the bottle, Prime Minister nawaz Sharif has announced forming a judicial commission comprising retired judges to probe the scam. The history of judicial commissions in Pakistan teaches us one lesson. Another commission, another deception. In the end I pray for the early arrival of the day when the people of this country will also come to know how much of their blood is deposited in Swiss banks.
The Mosquito Knows – DH Lawrence
The mosquito knows full well, small as he is
He’s a beast of prey.
But after all he only takes his bellyfull,
He doesn’t put my blood in the bank
