Between accountability and vendetta
Even after the Rangers extension and Karachi Operation particulars have been sorted out – with all the conditions imposed by the Sindh government – it is still not clear what direction the Operation as a whole is going to take. There can be no denying, of course, that all sorts of criminal activity has registered a visible downtrend in the city. But it is also true that this Operation stepped upon sensitive fault-lines all along the way, igniting inter-provincial discord and mounting centre-Sindh friction. And most of all, it has continuously led to cries of deliberate victimisation, prompting some to question whether the fine line between accountability and vendetta has been crossed.
The case of Dr Asim is a good example. An anti-corruption drive was always going to be a central part of cleaning up not just Karachi, but the entire country. But the manner of his detention, and the mystery surrounding continuous extension of his remand – now in NAB custody – is difficult to explain. If Rangers had compelling evidence, which they seem pretty sure of, then why the Rangers-police-NAB route, why not proper legal proceedings? It is in part because of the way this particular case was handled that the Sindh government was able to argue in favour of its conditions more forcefully.
Now the Operation is going to be of a somewhat different nature. Having the provincial government in the loop will make it more democratic, but it will do PPP’s reputation little good. The coming days will tell a lot. If there are attempts by the government to block Rangers’ advances towards its more favoured patrons, there will clearly be heightened confrontation. How that benefits the city, or the Operation, is not easy to quantify. Perhaps now that the Operation is being fine-tuned, the government should employ greater state machinery. Rangers, which have done a good job against militancy, should continue from where things stopped on Dec6. And offices of the FIA, NAB, etc, should be directly employed to tackle financial and terrorism related corruption.
"Igniting Inter-provincial discord" is the basis of the game. PPP has lost it's base in Punjab, complains that they were made to loose the elections in Punjab (by PML(N), support the game plan. By curtailing Rangers powers is aimed at not touching PPP Houses of Corruption or it's comrades in crime – like Dr Asim (who holds a Pandora Box under him) or departments like KBCA etc. And as ALL know the toothless CM Sind is getting dictation on a daily basis from across the Arabian Sea. An editorial mentioned that the situation has been created that the PM, Supreme Court and even the Establishment has NO say in the matter. Looks like Mr 10% has won the first round. So, good luck to the Karachi Operations.
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