None should be treated as more equal than others
The names of the JIT’s members were finalised by a Supreme Court bench and not by a partisan body. The JIT was formed on May 5, presented its first report on Monday to the bench in a sealed packet and the presiding judge observed that the bench was not dissatisfied with the report. He reminded the JIT that it had to finish the task allotted to it within sixty days
Meanwhile the proceedings of the JIT have started causing worries to the Sharif family and the PMLN leaders. One of the cousins who was interviewed has reportedly complained of misbehaviour on the part of some of the members of the investigating team who questioned him for hours and were allegedly harsh on receiving no response to certain questions. Husain Nawaz has reportedly asked for replacement of two JIT members as, according to him, one is Musharraf’s friend and another the relative of a PMLN turncoat. Another objection being raised is that both Husain and Hassan Nawaz being non-resident Pakistanis they deserve to be treated as other expatriates and not as common Pakistanis
The concerned parties have approached the Supreme Court. The right time to raise the objections was when the names of the JIT members were announced about three weeks back on May 5. By changing two important members at a time when the JIT has already consumed a quarter of its tenure it might not be possible to finish the probe within the prescribed period. Some of the objections look frivolous. The Sharifs’ cousin has to realise that appearing before an investigating team is different from going to a tea party, all the more so when the JIT is required to finish its job within a limited time frame. With the SC supervising the probe, it should not be possible for any investigator to be influenced by his avowed friendships and relations. For the investigation team Husain Nawaz and Hasan Nawaz are just two Pakistani nationals who are required to explain the source of their fabulous wealth and therefore should not be treated differently from others.