- Justice for all
At a time when the ruling Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf is having to make embarrassing U-turns on many of its campaign promises, it must go the extra mile to ensure its ongoing so called accountability drive does not appear a trifle selective, to say the least. It’s good that the prime minister is distancing himself from NAB’s actions, even though he has a strange way of doing it. Indeed, even Imran Khan’s boast – that 50 people would have been arrested if he were pulling NAB’s strings – gave the opposition a stick to beat the government with.
There is nothing wrong with initiating legal proceedings against individuals when the accountability bureau finds itself in possession of actionable evidence. Yet, as the government no doubt understands, justice must not just be done but also seen to be done. And, considering the present sensitive situation especially, it must be across the board. That is where the accountability drive, which the government seems so committed to, raises a few questions. Number-one, of course, is NAB’s credibility itself. Then there’s the compelling trend of going after big names in the two main opposition parties – one more than the other, actually, but neither is being completely ignored.
On the other hand, chatter of NAB proceedings against some of PTI’s blue-eyed, especially one dubbed by the opposition as the party’s ATM in Punjab, has suddenly dropped from the radar. Why wouldn’t NAB display the same eagerness in this one? And, of course, there are lingering questions regarding investigations into former military personnel regarding corruption cases. PTI made much noise about justice and accountability on the campaign trail. It also promised there would be no political victimisation. Hopefully the party will wake up to this problem in a more timely manner than it is turning its attention to other demanding tasks.