The Pakistani Game of Thrones
The Panama storm that was perceived as a bombshell that would have shown the door to the incumbent government is so far neither here nor there. PPP’s Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari did cause tremors for the Takht-e-Lahore. His demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – until the latter’s name is cleared by the Inquiry Commission headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan – was seen to be a right one.
It seems to be a game of attrition. Imran Khan and his PTI have come on the same page with PPP, and are on the warpath. So has a new single-agenda combined opposition alliance to push the Prime Minister’s alleged involvement in the Panama leaks. His battery of ministers unconvincingly parroting the sob story that the PM himself narrated twice in his two TV addresses within ten days – has been causing more damage to him.
Opposition leaders have nothing to do on their own to justify their demand for Prime Minister’s resignation. Prime Minister’s siblings involved in what is known in bazaar lingo as “Off Chore” money laundering – took the lid off of their own Pandora’s Box. And then, one just can’t escape from the electronic media.
The sudden appearance of the elder son of the PM, Husain Nawaz, on television prior to the Panama leaks was odd. Whatever he said, despite his “Alhamd-o-lillah” and his confessional statement that his sister Maryam Nawaz and he were the rightful owners of the prestigious, multi-million pound Parklane apartments – was nothing but a sure case of indictment. He also underscored how, after having lost all their wealth and assets, the Sharif family made it big from rags to riches – multiplying their assets from zero to god knows how many billions.
One wondered the necessity of such a confessional statement. The Panama leaks made everything clear. It shocked the nation: besides naming the siblings, it named Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as a beneficiary of off shore (in bazaar lingo called as Off Chore) accounts.
Government’s spin doctors had it in half page advertisements in many newspapers that ICIJ had accepted its error naming the Prime Minister in the Panama Papers. However, this too was denied by the ICIJ spokesman – Ryle Gerad – who stated it in a tweet that “We simply made it more clear that the link to the Prime Minister was through his children.” How much money is held in those accounts is not known so far. Figures in the media are mind boggling.
I was wondering, when Dr Assim Hussain – an orthopaedic surgeon without much knowledge of business, can be accused by the federal law enforcers of making One billion rupees a day – then how many trillions must the Sharifs have made by now – they’ve been in power since 1985. Had such shocking disclosure come from Pakistani sources—it could have been dismissed as misinformation. But Panama leaks are different. They are only second in importance to Wikileaks.
Panama’s fallout has been responsible for the instantaneous resignations – on moral grounds – of some prime ministers/presidents. British Prime Minister David Cameron too was mentioned in the Panama leaks. Rallies were held demanding his resignation.
He did the right thing. He was not answerable to the crowd. He went to the Parliament and on the floor of the House presented his tax returns and his father’s investment before he became prime minister. And the matter lies buried and no more opposition rumpus about it.
It does not seem to be a question of morality with our PM. In his two television addresses to the nation, he has claimed that neither he nor his children have been involved in either making money through corruption or laundering money through off shore companies. If any of this is proved, he would quit his office.
Their escapade could have been made easy, but for Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, who just three days before the Panama storm – made a speech warning the nation that without transparent and indiscriminate accountability nothing could be achieved. He put it strongly and bluntly: Pakistan’s survival was sine quo non with across the board accountability. He seemed to mean business, as one heard that six senior army officers had been sacked on charges of corruption in an-house accountability process. PMLN circles believe that the much hyped “Praetorian house cleaning” was to embarrass the Prime Minister and smelled a rat.
Not that Sharif family was restrained by Pakistani laws from opening off shore accounts or doing business. Most certainly not! The question of legitimacy was raised and agitated by the opposition since the Prime Minister did not mention about the Parklane apartments in his declaration of assets with the Pakistan Election Commission at the time of filing his nomination papers. Neither had he paid tax.
Prime Minister could have gotten out least scathed by going British Prime Minister Cameron’s way. Instead, he appointed a commission of Inquiry headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court (whose wife is an active member of PML-N). This was instantly rejected by the opposition parties. I was, therefore, happy when Nawaz moved on to announce Inquiry Commission headed by the serving Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. However, the terms of reference were rejected by the opposition as much ado about nothing.
No doubt the Chief Justice has been authorised to change the terms of reference following their rejection by the combined opposition. What needs to be seen is the limited scope of the commission especially its efficacy in a foreign country. Despite the best interest of Pakistan and what could be of far reaching consequences for it now and in future, even a commission specific to the Prime Minister would take years to finally reach the conclusion that there is nether enough evidence to absolve him totally nor enough evidence to prove him guilty as well due to lack of expertise and accessibility in a foreign country. In short: it would be nothing but an expensive and time consuming exercise in futility.
The combined opposition has come up with its own fifteen TORs in regards to the investigation commission that would probe into the Panama Leaks. The opposition parties have demanded that investigation of the matter of the Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and his family be initiated. So now it is a battle of TORs.
Simple and easiest way out of the deepening quagmire is democratic. While believing the Prime Minister that neither he nor his family members are involved in corruption, money laundering, written off bank loans, making money through abuse of office or commissions in mega deals like import of gas from Qatar and Orange train. He should present himself before the Committee of the Whole House of the Parliament with documents of his domestic and foreign assets, what has been his income and how much overall income tax he has paid to the national exchequer over the years.
In addition to it, the Committee of Whole House should also question the incumbent finance minister vis-à-vis his ‘forced’ confessional statement sworn by him for money laundering for his Prime Minister after Musharraf’s coup in 1999. In this context it would be worthwhile to have the screening of the BBC’s documentary “Pakistan to Parklane via Illford”. The Committee should also question Senator Rehman Malik since he had carried out an intensive investigation both in and outside Pakistan as Deputy Director General of FIA.
I would be the last person to see democracy derailed. Without undermining that, money laundering and stacking of billions in off shore accounts allegedly by the highest directly elected public office holder or his siblings – does not do proud to the country that was founded by the most honest Muslim leader in the sub continent. Surely Nawaz Sharif’s submission to the Parliament would go a long way in establishing the truth. It would as well add to its prestige as the sole arbiter. And the credit would go to the Prime Minister.
