Miracles do happen
Let us envisage a worst scenario in which the court, in spite of the prevailing suspicion-laden atmosphere and the controversy surrounding the JIT, disqualifies the Prime Minister. The question arises, will the disqualification of one individual usher in an era of across the board accountability and establish the rule of law in the country?
It is perhaps needless to emphasise that Pakistani nation is extremely passionate about cricket, more so when the opponent is India. Whenever both teams have met in the international tournaments like the World Cup, Champions Trophy and other ICC sponsored events, we have been witnessing feverish outpouring of passions by the people and their unruffled involvement and solidarity with the cricket team. The intensity of the passions unfortunately has been turning into an equally intense disappointment and frustration when the team failed to break the jinx.
To be honest, notwithstanding the fact that in the yesteryears we had some of the legendary cricketers in the team, our team never looked threatening when facing India and one always had a sneaking feeling that something was wrong somewhere. The team never looked like a winning combination. Even in the round match against India in the current Champions Trophy, it capitulated without a fight sending a wave of disappointment and resentment among the lovers of Pakistan cricket. However it proved to be a short-lived hic up and the team bounced back with gritty performances against South Africa, England and Sri Lanka to set up a final with India. The new found self-belief and unity that propelled them to resurrect the lost prestige and pride in the round matches and the semi-final was carried into the final with exemplary aplomb. The team outclassed India in every aspect of the game. The batsmen, bowlers and fielders put up a formidable challenge for their opponents and never let allowed them to display their cricketing prowess for which the Indian team was known at the international level. The Indian captain did admit the fact that the Indian team was outmanoeuvred in all departments of the game and Pakistan had proved that on their day nobody could beat them.
To me the outcome of the final was a miracle of the self-belief and unity displayed by the team and a ranting testimony to the fact that nothing was impossible or beyond reach, provided there was unshakable faith and belief in the cause and those striving to pursue it, had impregnable unity. The win has certainly created a festive mood across the country and reinforced feelings among the masses. Well done Pakistan Cricket Team and congratulation to the entire nation over this unprecedented victory.
I think as a nation we also need to forge impregnable unity to surmount the debilitating challenges confronting the country. That can be done by going back to the drawing board on which the architect of Pakistan drew the contours of the course Pakistan needed to follow and also prescribed the recipe of Unity, Faith and Discipline to tread that course successfully. But unfortunately we as a nation have failed to traverse that course and consequently have had to endure the horrible consequences of taking a detour from it. But the dilemma and tragedy is that no lessons seem to have been learnt from the misfortune that befell us due to the shenanigans of the military dictators, politicians and most regrettably the judiciary whose decisions on the crucial juncture of our history sowed the seeds of discord and disunity.
The military dictators weakened the state institutions to ensure longevity of their power stints and indulged in the most corrupt practices to build their support base. The elected governments that interspersed the military regimes not only failed to rake the mess created by the military dictators but also showed very little interest in changing the system of governance, a colonial legacy, that had inbuilt avenues of corruption and was heavily tilted to serving the interests of the elite. It has been a sordid story of the so-called democrats working against democracy by focusing on destabilising the elected governments of the opponent political parties. The country has seen sinister alliances created and supported by anti-democratic forces. The result is that democracy has suffered incalculable harm and the politicians have become the most vulnerable class themselves as a consequence of their own misdeeds. We have also witnessed witch-hunts in the name of accountability and law being applied only to the most vulnerable in the equation of power. The answer lies in more and more democracy and evolutionary systemic changes.
But it is very painful to note that the hope of democracy taking firm root in the country after 2008 elections and smooth transfer of power in 2013 through the ballot, has failed to gain strength due to politics of self-aggrandisement by some political elements, particularly Imran Khan who has created an ambiance of political uncertainty in the country and is hell-bent to reach the corridors of power by all means. With his advent on the political landscape morality has taken back seat. He claims to be a democrat and a law abiding individual but all his actions negate what he claims he stands for. He has wasted almost three years of the nation in agitation on fabricated charges of rigging and after that in politicising the Panama Leaks issue. Nobody in his right mind can buy the argument that it was meant for justice and accountability.
Let us envisage a worst scenario in which the court, in spite of the prevailing suspicion-laden atmosphere and the controversy surrounding the JIT, disqualifies the Prime Minister. The question arises, will the disqualification of one individual usher in an era of across the board accountability and establish the rule of law in the country? Even the lay man in the street would say no. For that we need change in the system of governance, change in the way the justice is dispensed and by making sure that there was only one law for all under which the state institutions and government functionaries could he held responsible for their indiscretions. That does not happen through the courts. The change can only be orchestrated by the executive through the parliament.
My considered view is that the apex court should not have taken up the case on the petitions filed by the politicians. The moment the court accepted the petitions it became a politicised case as has been witnessed throughout the hearing of the case and now with regard to JIT. The nature of the case, assuming that the money was taken out of the country through illegal means, was criminal and not constitutional. Further the SC is not a court of trial rather a court of appeal in criminal and civil cases.
The building scenario and the developments that have taken place since the formation of the JIT unfortunately give the impression of government versus the judiciary supported by the opposition parties particularly the PTI which has been showing solidarity with the court. Some judges have also precipitated that impression through their anti-government threatening remarks. One of the honourable judges in regards to the criticism by media is reported to have remarked “let the case finish and we will sort them out”. That scenario is not good for the apex court itself. It might not emerge unscathed from the Panama episode. There is a strong likelihood of justice once again becoming a casualty.