The accountability drama
Once again MQM chief Altaf Hussain raged and acted in anger and once again he had to reverse his decision. Shutting down MQM altogether was apparently just an extension of his usual disassociation with the party, which is always taken back after protests from followers and admirers. The party is clearly reeling from the Rangers’ ‘campaign’; the raids on Nine-Zero, arrests, the RAW charge and, of course, the Imran Farooq murder investigation in London. But it doesn’t seem that this ‘drama’ is headed for a finale anytime soon. And the reason, unfortunately, is not any manner of procedural inefficiency, just the manner in which relevant authorities are pursuing it.
There was much talk of ‘across the board’ accountability when Rangers took the Karachi operation to a new level with the first Nine-Zero raid, yet there was little, if any, follow up. Then the military threatened legal action against MQM but nothing happened. Then there were numerous attempts at establishing the RAW link, yet, again, the matter was not accorded the urgency it demanded, implying more propaganda than truth behind the accusation. Now sections of the media are busy – or have been made busy – resurrecting the Jinnahpur ghost, which was supposedly dead and buried for some time now.
Meantime PPP co-chairman Zardari gave a piece of his mind to the military hierarchy, yet neither Islamabad nor the GHQ moved beyond routine statements, and PPP top guns were allowed to leave the country. It seems the Karachi operation is caught in a twist. Those in charge are unable to honour promises of impartiality, among other things. No doubt MQM’s militant tendencies (and any other party’s for that matter), where proved, must be dealt with in accordance with the law. But if targeting smacks of vendetta the exercise risks becoming counter-productive which, seemingly, is close to the present situation in Karachi. Rangers must now ‘wrap up’ loose ends that the operation has given rise to. And, of course, across-the-board accountability and impartiality must be ensured.
