Justice for all
Unfortunately over the years many of our worst fears have been confirmed and realties have been quite contrary to the aspirations of the masses. So I guess the cynicism is justified given the deteriorating conditions of this country
The most historic, the most awaited and the most unprecedented verdict of the Supreme Court, announced on Friday, 28 July 2017, disqualifying Nawaz Sharif, Ishaq Dar, Captain Safdar resulting in the dissolution of the cabinet, unleashed a plethora of analysis, debates and hypotheses. The decision received immense accolade from the opposition parties and media. The jubilation of the masses was evident on the social media. Undoubtedly, this is a huge achievement. It symbolises the supremacy of law. It reinstates the faith of a common man in the institution of judiciary. It gives a clear cut message that no one is above the law. It is a giant leap and hopefully in the right direction. The question however remains what next?
Would this process of accountability come to a halt here with the ruling leadership having been declared defunct or would it entail more tough and transparent trials and fair decisions for loads of more individuals and institutions that have been involved in corruption. If the answer is in affirmative, which logically speaking it should be, then does that mean, that all those entities be it army officials or judges, bureaucrats or technocrats, politicians or journalists, industrialists or policy makers, whosoever has been involved in any kind of corruption would be taken to a fair trial?Any sane person would hope and wish for this process of transparency to proceed unhindered, but the chances seem quite bleak.
We all know that our politicians are corrupt but we now know that these politicians would now think twice before committing acts of corruption and causing damage to the national interest. Would it not be only fair if this process of accountability now also involve all the army generals, serving and retired who have amassed exorbitant amounts of fortune, who have occupied large tracts of land in different parts of the country, who have appointed army officials as heads of multiple institutions, who have invested in offshore companies and have facilitated many foreigners against the national interests? Would it not be fair to file cases against many doctors who have been appointed as heads of massive hospitals and who have been involved in illegal importation of drugs and selling them at prices a lot higher than market price? Shouldn’t then many journalists and media houses be held accountable for misleading the nation by twisting the facts and propagating narratives that not only harmed the national interest but also brought bad name to the country? Shouldn’t big business tycoons who have been buying political influence and loyalties with their might of mullah and acres of land in flashy housing schemes, who have been known to have swindled masses by selling off files against no land whatsoever, be brought to justice?
The Supreme Court’s decision undoubtedly has turned a new leaf but these questions haunt me. The sentiments bursting inside me when the verdict was announced are unexplainable but they were tinted with this mounting anxiety and anticipation of how things would unfold from here onwards. In the hearts of my heart I want this country to be purged of every bit of corruption, malpractice, dishonesty and fraud. I want to witness the day when Pakistan could stand tall in the comity of nations and be reckoned as a country that combated deep rooted menaces of corruption and pulled itself out of the doldrums and vicious vortex of socio-political economic bottlenecks and set itself on the path of progress and development. But unfortunately over the years many of our worst fears have been confirmed and realties have been quite contrary to the aspirations of the masses. So I guess the cynicism is justified given the deteriorating conditions of this country over the years.
Nevertheless I cannot keep myself from praising the bravery and conviction of the five esteemed judges, who have done justice to their oaths and have upheld the sanctity of this extremely crucial institution. More respect to the members of the JIT for not giving in to the pressures and doing their jobs honestly and fearlessly. Many congratulations to Imran Khan for having had the courage and patience to pursue the case to its climax.
Although it is an extremely joyous occasion but we need to be careful because we are treading a very dangerous path. Regular skirmishes on the border might escalate into something serious, and the exogenous forces might capitalise on the internal instability and might play its role in adding to the precarious situations. We should realise that these individuals mean nothing, they come and they go but it’s the national interest that should be upheld and safegaurded at all costs. The lack of firm political leadership would definitly deter foreign investment, it would entice the banned outfits to create trouble, India would definitely play its role in making the situation all the more difficult, so the need of the hour is that our new leadership and the opposition devise a strategy for long term goals and put up a united front so that no extraneous factor could succeed in creating disturbances amongst the federating units. Very precarious times ahead.