Perils of delaying issues needing urgent solutions

The clock is ticking

There is enough evidence to show that corruption and lack of responsiveness on the part of the ruling elite causes alienation among the common people who subsequently lose faith in the system and are unwilling to defend it. This allows the terrorist networks to establish themselves in societies of the type. It is a matter of record that the terrorists in Pakistan have recruited the major chunk of their foot soldiers from neglected regions and economically backward populations. Thus areas like Fata, Balochistan and South Punjab have supplied the largest number of cadre to various terrorist entities.

The PMLN government needs to take the opposition on board and jointly set up an accountability mechanism through consensus. The government in particular and the opposition in general needs to realize that delaying issues that need urgent solutions provides an opportunity to non-political forces to occupy their turf. The negligence shown by the Punjab government by allowing the criminal gangs to set up no-go-areas and its insistence that these did not exist led to the unfortunate situation where seven police personnel were killed and 25 kidnapped. What is more it took away the initiative from the provincial government, leading the ISPR to affirm the army’s resolve to put an end to no-go-areas wherever these are found.

What everybody needs to realize is that subjecting politicians alone to accountability will not bring an end to the growing alienation among the people. Treating any section of society as a sacred cow would strengthen cynicism while what is needed is to promote respect for institutions which is possible only if these are widely seen to be independent, honest and even-handed. This requires a system of accountability without exemption. While dealing with the issue of the Panama Papers, there is also a need to devise a highly professional, apolitical, financially autonomous, and constitutionally protected body to conduct accountability of all irrespective of whether they are politicians, generals, judges, bureaucrats or media persons.