Post Panama gate
The fallout of the Panama leaks, thus far, has not cost much to Nawaz Sharif. The pressure built by opposition parties have slowly started to diffuse. Much of this has to do with the politicization of the matter and lack of public pressure which the opposition has failed to attract.
In the wake of these leaks, Sharif’s main fear came from the political pressure which might topple his government rather than any institutional accountability which would be slow and perhaps, may not hold any legal jurisdiction.
Apparently, Sharif has recovered after taking some initial blows which were reflected through his back to back appearances on national television to address the issue. Undoubtedly, the initial response from the PML-N leadership was weak, impulsive and personal rather than institutional.
As far as the corruption allegations over the Sharif family are concerned, it has been an open secret, not just from some days or months but from many years. The new emergence in these revelations were the revelations itself which were deemed as evidence. For Sharif, adding further fuel to the fire were international resignations, condemnations and apologies coming in the wake of these leaks. This, consequently, lent some legitimacy to these allegations.
From the beginning, Imran Khan’s political party’s main objective has been to expose PML-N’s bad governance and alleged mass corruption by building public pressure. In 2014, we witnessed this in the form of “dharna” politics against the PML-N’s alleged large scale rigging in the last general elections.
Furthermore, the initial barrage of criticism and shock, built by opposition parties, has been punctured with the absence of public interest. The PTI and the PPP have failed to draw in mass crowds and the entire debate over the issue has shifted to social and electronic media. One of the reasons for weak public response to these allegations has been due to the differences among opposition parties over the fate of democracy which might be under threat if agitation spirals out of control.
While majority of the opposition parties want to see accountability taking place for their own individual interests, PTI and PPP remain divided over the issue of democracy and Prime Minister’s fate. Imran Khan, on the one hand, won’t hesitate from derailing the democratic system if he is ensured elections tomorrow, Zardari’s PPP, on the other hand, is not interested in pushing ahead till the point where they might draw the military in.
Nawaz Sharif during his Sindh visit tried to associate opposition’s offensive against him with that of the former dictator: “Lots of people have tried to prove corruption against us. General Musharraf spent nine years trying to enforce accountability but was unable to find proof of any kickbacks or commission.” He further blamed that opposition’s agenda was similar to terrorists who were trying to halt progress in Pakistan: “What is the agenda of those who agitate?” “Don’t they try to stop progress in Pakistan? Don’t they try to disrupt peace? What is the difference between them and terrorists?” he questioned. Seemingly, the opposition in a way has exposed itself by making the entire issue personal rather than objective, impartial and across the board. Moreover, the opposition’s failing legal and judicial assault against the PML-N leadership has much to do with similar allegations leveled against many lawmakers sitting in the former’s ranks.
That said, Nawaz Sharif, in this whole saga, has given no indication that he himself, in any way, respects the democratic system; one stark example is his continuous absence from the Parliament. The British Prime Minister, David Cameron, who was also named in these allegations, presented himself before the House of Commons while Prime Minister Sharif has resorted to media to prove his victimhood rather than taking the opposition into confidence over the issue. This explains that regardless of how weak or politically loaded the opposition’s attacks on Prime Minister are, once constitutional boundaries are violated – be it opposition or the government – institutional superiority becomes inferior.
In general, Panama leaks reflect a loss for Pakistan’s democratic project. While it highlights rooted corruption, lack of vision and commitment, greed for power and indifference towards public and instructional building, this has further entrenched the military’s position in domestic politics. Sharif may last till the next general elections but his power to exercise control over the state has been reduced to a great extent. The military’s public announcement to tackle the corruption problem across the board is a reflection of this entrenching position.
Further complicating this sad state of affairs is the state of Pakistan’s judiciary. The military courts wouldn’t be working today if the civilian judicial system had been performing well. Even if the judicial commission is formed, one is not sure whether the investigation would be impartial. Sadly, all of this has been happening at the cost of democracy, institutional building and public interests.