Former Federal Minister and close aide/confidante of PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari, Dr Asim Hussain was remanded for 90 days by an Anti-Terrorism Court under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 because of what the Rangers described was “credible information about his involvement in terrorism-related activity and embezzlement of funds”. Asim soon started coughing out a roomful of more incriminating information. Threatening that “any action on Asif Ali Zardari will instigate war”, PPP’s Khursheed Shah confirmed the prevailing public perception that his disclosures thereof could lead to PPP Co-Chairman being indicted. Incidentally, was Ziauddin Hospital being used to treat militants of various ilk?
Non-bailable arrest warrants by FIA for former PM Yousuf Raza Gilani, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and others followed in 12 separate cases relating to the Trade Development Authority (TDAP) for approving and disbursing fraudulent trade subsidies worth billions of Rupees to several fake companies through fictitious claims and backdated cheques. Another arrest warrant is also out for former PM Raja “Rental” Pervez Ashraf. What the PPP had anticipated a month or so earlier when Zardari went berserk ranting against the military is now a fact of life. Having broken MQM’s street power capable of bringing Karachi to a halt, sometimes on their own and sometimes on behalf of PPP on cue from Rahman Malik, the bagman, Phase 2 of the Rangers operations against terrorists and their financing has commenced.
Zardari resorted to the time tested ploy of attempting to hide criminal activity behind a political screen. Threatening Mian Nawaz Sharif with dire consequences for reverting to the “revenge” of the 90s, Zardari was careful not to target the military this time. Indicted for political (and other) murders in line with what his old buddy Zulfiqar Mirza has been accusing him of, he could well end up being tried by a military court. For the record Mian Nawaz Sharif is quite helpless in the face of the relentless accountability initiated by the military. Figurehead Sindh CM Qaim Ali Shah looked quite amusing complaining that NAB and FIA were taking action against the “corrupt” in Sindh without keeping him in the loop. Claiming that if their corruption is targetted, democracy cannot be sustained, politicians in power in Parliament could amend the Constitution to legalize corruption for the sake of “democracy”, will the Supreme Court (SC) overturn this or hold it beyond their powers to stop criminals from functioning in the name of justice under the camouflage of the Constitution in our version of “democracy”?
The son of another Zardari stalwart-in-crime, rumoured to be carrying Rs. 3 billion in cash, managed to flee the country in a chartered aircraft to join his crooked father in exile. What about money-laundering laws in the destination country? Real estate in countries like the UK are the recipients of most corruption money, why cannot UK block such funds? Western countries, pontificating endlessly about corruption, money-laundering, etc, in third world countries, maintain double standards. Asked about the recent banking reforms in Switzerland and how it would benefit Pakistan because many politicians have allegedly stashed their wealth in Swiss accounts, the Swiss Consul General in Karachi, Emil Wyss replied that “the ball is really in Pakistani courts. The case has to first go through the courts of Pakistan. Then the govt of Pakistan has to make a formal request to our govt and provide evidence about the [illegally acquired money] stashed in Swiss banks. If the Pakistani govt is able to prove it, the Swiss govt will then return the money.” A good man, Emil Wyss probably does not understand that it is almost impossible for govts affected by the flight of such corrupt capital to prove this! Having strict money-laundering laws, at least in theory, could the Swiss authorities enquire into the source of funds and how they reached Switzerland? With reasonable doubt about the origin of funds, could they consider confirming whether taxes were paid at the origin?
Terrorists cannot operate for any length of time with any effectiveness without the nexus of corruption contributing to crime morphing into organized crime. World Economic Forum’s (WEF) “Partnership Against Crime Initiative” (PACI) has repeatedly emphasized this. The ability to launch the odd terrorist action notwithstanding, the terrorists’ capacity for sustained activity is severely curtailed without organised crime arranging the money-laundering of necessary funds to give them the capacity and potential for their activities. Other than targetting them wherever (and whoever) they may be, the origins from where corruption’s revenues are money-laundered from must be a primary target. Talking to his troops at advanced positions in the Shawal Valley near the Afghan border, the COAS Gen Raheel Sharif gave a “no-nonsense” reply to those protesting why NAB, FIA and the Rangers had the audacity to indict the corrupt, “we will not allow anyone to kill our people and children. We will expose all faces who help the terrorists at any stage and in any way”.
No signs yet of Raheel Sharif and his colleagues succumbing to the temptations of cult and greed. Faced with a tough job, the Rangers have the momentum going but they must have a ruthless self-accountability mechanism to keep their majors, colonels and personnel down the line in check. One already sees the first hint of arrogance (which precedes corruption) in them, whatever is being gained will be lost as was the case after Musharraf’s first 2-3 years if arrogance morphs into complacency and/or corruption.
There is a class difference in the officer corps since a decade ago, the present lot of battle-hardened soldiers (Swat and FATA), less sorry exemptions like Sajjad Ghani and a couple of other Kayani three-star cronies, are less susceptible to temptation than those of the Musharraf reign who were promoted because like him they had never heard a shot being fired in anger. Given that the intentions are initially good, how many times have we seen those exercising absolute powers begin to sooner or later think of themselves as God’s gift to mankind? To stay the course the Pakistan Army must ruthlessly carry out self-accountability to ensure credibility, the process of accountability across the board must be sustained if the country has to have any future.
A very good plan is not worth the paper it is written on unless it can be implemented successfully. Capable leadership often falters at the altar of compromise for one reason or the other, one of the prime ones being greed. Unless an effective self-correcting mechanism runs in parallel, the military themselves will become part of the problem they came to solve.
It is now or never!
