If the bill sponsored by MNA Raza Hayat Hiraj is adopted, for which the chances are very remote, it will provide safeguards against institutionalised flight of capital and the massive corruption that plagues this unfortunate country and its state-owned corporations. How can this establishment tolerate the passage of this bill, which comes in direct conflict with their personal interests that for years have always taken a priority over our collective national interests?
Is Mr Hiraj aware that when a former military dictator was in power, his whole immediate family, excluding him, had already acquired foreign nationality and abundant assets in their newly adopted country, to which they had “pledged their sole loyalty, overriding all previous commitments, or oaths of such loyalty to any other nation”.
Does he know the numerous senior bureaucrats who have moved their families and assets to other countries, whose nationalities they have either already acquired, or are in the process of doing so? For past decade the majority of senior executives in state owned corporations, banks and financial institutions are dominated by this elite group, who hold dual nationalities and have been instrumental in organised plunder and losses incurred by them.
Nothing much has changed except the passage of time when Pakistan’s financial policies were decided by men like Shoaib Mohammad, MM Ahmed, Mahboobul Haq, Shaukat Aziz, to Dr Hafeez Sheikh and Dr Nadeemul Haq, all of whom had served either IMF, World Bank, CitiBank etc. Take any state corporation that is on the brink of bankruptcy, or that which has abundance of assets within Pakistan or abroad and review the composure of their senior executives and this will shock Mr Raza Hayat Hiraj and few others in our parliament who may still have, what is very rare, a conscience and sole loyalty to the state of Pakistan.
Whatever the arguments that may be put forth by many, the fact is that family interests or the interests of your children and safeguarding their personal assets influence any parent’s action and decision making process. Mr Hiraj should just examine the dual nationalities of PIA, Steel Mills, OGDC, NBP, PSO, KPT, PEPCO, WAPDA, NHA, PIA Investment, PASSCO, NICL etc senior executives, if he has already not done so.
GULL ZAMAN
Peshawar
