Rizwan Ghani
WHEN Johnson appointed former Australian PM Abbott as Trade Advisor for the UK, Australian government was asked to regard him as a foreign agent. Parliamentarians questioned his new role as CoI. The shadow AG of opposition asked Morrison government to explain how Abbot can work for a foreign power advising on matters potentially in direct conflict with Australia’s commercial interests. Shadow AG, if there is one, should give opinion of our opposition to have healthy democracy. In legal terms, the judgment of IHC is positive because it dismissed the plea for a ban on speeches by saying that invoking constitutional jurisdiction in matters involving political content is certainly not in public interest and that too when the law provides for alternate remedies. The angry opposition is only promising to weigh its legal options meaning it will not act and cry foul before nation, liberal and Murdoch media. EC can legally review the behaviour of individual politicians, parties and party heads. PM has played ignorance card and party has refused to take ownership of the report as if it’s a strategy.
There is a flip side of FIR. Its criticism in media, the history of such cases and its adverse future consequences being highlighted are ominous. But it might not go for a long time for a number of reasons. It will be kept as a lesson for the future politicians that how strategy of attacking the Establishment could backfire. It might become permanent part of our checkered political history. Ideally, it must be squashed after all NROs and other deals are also part of our history. So if another rabbit pops up from our history hat, it shouldn’t surprise anyone. The political side of FIR is that it could give the party a strong base for next 3-year. This ought not be squandered or else be ready to privatized, moth-eaten and hungry. Urdu alphabets are being used to forecast future but this act is reminder of PTV style Taleem-e-Balgan lesson about basics of politics. Knowing PM’s love for PTV, it is signature reminder. This part of lesson is written in Urdu alphabet Qaida but permanent part of our political syllabus. The colonial era rules can always be evoked to remind list of dos and don’ts’ like good old days.
The conspiracy side of the FIR is following the “act” to know the beneficiary. It might be useful in this case to predict about a couple of things: (a) changes in political parties’ laws to end dynastic politics. (b) It could mean 18th Amendment will not be touched. (c) Parliamentary system will continue. (d) Removing corrupt politicians for making new political alliances with their parties. (e) Likely changes in coalition partners in the centre and Punjab. (f) Actual start of wholesale accountability. (g) Depoliticizing of bureaucracy. (h) Zero tolerance for corruption? (i) Madaris and shrine incomes returning under government control. There is going to be a dark side of political changes. FM will not get South Punjab province/CM and so will the others because of sugar scandal and likely accountability. The sugar mafia will still manage to benefit because of continuation of sugar plantations in cotton belts resulting in $1.7bn cotton import in 2019, supply low quality cotton seed and keep ban on making brown sugar by the farmers to appease sugar mafia and at cost of public health. In Sindh, no new province. All parties will have to work together.
As a result of new political alliances, PTI will lose every election in Punjab. CM Punjab statement on irrigation will go waste and other politicians seeking irrigation reservoirs and distribution systems will be disappointed. After new political alliances, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will not share water. Then there are no plans to build fertilizer plants to appease subsidy mafia (Ra37bn proposal) which increased three times after privatization. There are no long-term policies on food security, small farmers agriculture loans (85% of the group; value addition to protect our economy, jobs and tax expansion; irrigation and allied technical education and training including IT linking seller and buying; good healthcare and education in govt setups, expanding justice system, and eradication of thana and patwari culture.
Internationally, there are no plans to use AML laws in national legal systems to win money laundering cases. FATF should be exposed for reportedly not acting against France which is not its member and harbouring Gulf dirty money. UK, US (FinCen), EU & UN know about trillions of dollars of money laundering but they are not ready to return public’s stolen money to Pakistan under KYC, CBA, AML laws that mandate sharing lists in 24 hours and returning the stole money. The WB $45bn report can test all the AML, KYC and 5-step banking audit system under US BSA (FinCen) to recover Pakistan’s stolen money. Merkel gave $2.2tn EU stimulus package to 27 member states and Trump gave similar amount to Americans. Can world leaders separate their stimulus packages from $6.5tn stolen money in world finical system? It is Robin Hood economy in which poor are feeding poor behind while shameless politicians scapegoat people from 3rd world as economic migrants and EU fails them on 4-freedoms and UN acts blind and deaf. And there are no voices in Pakistan for public except new alliances.
—The writer is senior political analyst based in Islamabad.
