The PanamaGate fallout appears to have affected almost everyone even remotely attached to it. Ever since the International Union of Investigative Journalists llCIJ) leaked the unprecedented 11.5m files from the database of the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca, showing the myriad ways in which the rich can exploit secretive offshore tax regimes, multiple scandals have come to light. Twelve national leaders were among 143 politicians, their families and close associates from Around the world .known to have been using offshore tax havens, among them were three children of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan. These documents revealed that his children owned offshore companies and assets not shown on his family’s wealth statement. Although a few foreign govts have fallen and its impact in Pakistan has been profound, the Sharif family has denied wrongdoing, it has been mostly business as usual for the PM and his embattled family members. For the last eight months or so Pakistan was mesmerized with the PanamaGate affair with TV channels focusing on it daily as though nothing else mattered. Given the almost daily rebuttals and fresh accusations flowing back and forth between the govt and opposition political parties, the general impression is that the Prime Minister’s family has been mostly playing with facts to justify their hidden wealth abroad. In its ruling the Supreme Court (SC) stopped short of removing Mian Nawaz Sharif from public office. It instead ordered a JIT to examine the money trail, scrutinize available records and obtain testimony from ‘key players and submit its report in 60 days. For the benefit of readers I am reproducing my article titled “OUR VERY OWN MAFIOSI?”
Analysing material from the “Arms to Iraq” archive and studying key American political events including Watergate, Iran-Contra and Bill Clinton’s impeachment, Dr. Glen Newey, a Reader in politics at Strathclyde University, Glasgow concluded in a 2003 research study that some political deception is not only inevitable in a democracy but can be legitimate where conducted by elected politicians in the public interest where they have the tacit support of the electorate. Dr. Newey concluded that where democracy has not been allowed to flourish by vested interest, politicians indulge in deception and falsehood to protect and further their own interests. For them the publics or the national interest are never pressing priorities.
Corruption, mismanagement and bad governance of our democratic govts past and present notwithstanding, criminality became more frequent and institutionalized during the Asif Zardari-led PPP era. Zardari convinced Ms. Benazir that her charisma notwithstanding, without making money from govt contracts there was no future trying to fight the vast resources the Sharif family had. Money bought influence, the cycle bringing in more money and where influence failed, coercion by the state apparatus did. To quote my article “De-criminalising Democracy”, “While neither tolerating nor condoning corruption in any form, one must forcefully differentiate between white collar crimes and heinous crimes by militants belonging to political parties utilizing State apparatus for strongarm purposes grabbing real estate, extorting money, indulging in murder, kidnapping etc. This outright gangsterism amounts to “state terror ism” against the State’s citizens. Bilawal House in Karachi (and the now dozen or so Zardari- owned residential properties surrounding it) exist as concrete symbols why we remain mostly deaf, dumb and blind to targetting criminals with strong political base.” Unquote.
Morphing into organized crime corruption became a part of governance. Despite having hordes of money Zardari’s consistent thirst to make more and more has never been quenched. What separates him from Mian Nawaz Sharif is that Zardari makes criminally use of the state apparatus and apparatchik far more frequently.
By forming a JIT for a thorough enquiry In search of a “smoking gun”, the majority three SC judges in the PanamaGate case tacitly agreed with their two senior colleagues who opted to disqualify the PM. Straitjacketed into a mindset devoid of reality, PML (N) party stalwarts and workers celebrated “victory” and distributed sweets. Without any dyed-in-the-wool PML (N) sympathizers on the JIT panel, realization hit them that the problems for their leader had just begun, highlighted by the PM’s sons being questioned by the JIT. Despite the JIT being formed by the same three SC judges who gave Mian Nawaz Sharif some relief, PML (N) leaders started questioning JIT’s credibility and integrity. This confirmed that the Sharif’s were in trouble.
A real-life criminal conglomerate, the mafia is known to threaten and murder judges, public prosecutors, police officials, etc. The 1978 kidnapping and murder (after 55 days of imprisonment) of Italian majority party leader and former PM Aldo Moro was one well-known outrage. Expressing strong displeasure at the threats voiced by PML (N) lawmaker Senator Nihal Hashmi, Justice Azmat Saeed commented that the incumbent govt was acting like “the Sicilian Mafia”. The court further observed that “a systematic campaign was being run by the govt against judges of the apex court and the JIT”. The “Marriyum Aurangzeb and Daniyal Aziz Circus” uses the Press Information Department (PIO) platform regularly to cast innuendos galore and raise vociferous objections. Is the govt right in taking exception to being compared to the “Sicilian Mafia”?
The video of PML (N) stalwart Senator Nihal Hashmi’s outburst leaves nothing to the imagination, “Those who are scrutinising them [Sharif and his sons], we will not spare you. Listen! You ask the son of Nawaz Sharif to submit his account details. Who are you to ask him his account details? We will not spare those who have held us accountable and who are making us accountable.” Hs remarks caused a furore in the country. As men of courage, integrity and exemplary character, our honourable SC judges were not cowed down by such threats. Attempting damage control the PM intervened to distance himself from Hashmi’s remarks, he suspended his party membership and directed him to resign his Senate seat.
Hashmi’s threats of dire vengeance was vintage Sharif – style use of proxies in the delivering of the implied threat made famous in Mario Puzo’s book (and subsequent movie) “The Godfather” Actor Singer Johnny Fontane (said to have been characterized on Frank Sinatra) asks his godfather Vito Corleone for help to secure a film role for which the producer had already turned him down. Corleone tells his godson, “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse.” Polite requests to the producer being brusquely refused, he woke up one morning with the head pf his favourite racehorse lying next to him in bed. The “offer” was not an offer at all, it was a death threat, meaning “do as I say or I will kill you”. Fontane got the part and became a movie star.
A culture of suspicion, resorting to evasion and misrepresentation is created by our politicians to divert attention whenever they feel threatened by the people demanding openness and accountability. Right in cue, Shahbaz Sharif, the driving force behind the storming and ransacking of the SC by a PML (N) mob in 1998, strongly criticised the judiciary. With this the two factions of the PML (N) led by the Sharif brothers declared common cause. Why I am not surprised that for the first time the credentials of the ISI and MI members of JIT were questioned? A tougher standard must apply to public officials telling lies, besmirching reputations and/ or acting beyond their mandate in contempt of the judiciary.
Nihal Hashmi first appearance before the SC was nervous and contrite. Dutifully he also sent in his resignation as a Senator to the Senate Chairman. In a complete volte-face Hashmi not only withdrew his resignation barely 96 hours but he was confident and composed in his next appearance before the SC. Nihal Hashmi probably did not appreciate the PML (N) shoving him out into the cold despite his virtuoso “more loyal than the king” performance and did a second think Of becoming a political outcast.
That he may “come clean” before the SC sent shudders through the PML (N) hierarchy, an enquiry committee asked for his explanation for “violating party discipline”. Or is this another PML (N) motivated political drama to embroil the superior judiciary in controversy similar to what they have done repeatedly with our Armed Forces?
