Zaheer Bhatti
WITH declaration of the KP Government that it would create a new set-up for accountability and to control corruption, another non-starter appears to be in the making, since it has proven that rather than identify grey areas in existing Institutions and take corrective measures, such steps have only added further to the malaise. All kinds of set-ups for accountability have been crafted by successive governments ostensibly to net and punitively punish the financially corrupt, which have unfortunately delivered nothing back to the State or the people who ought to have benefitted from recovered people’s moneys, because the exercise of accountability has only been targeted at political opponents and personal adversaries including those disqualified by military regimes since the creation of Pakistan.
Just for once, a Pervez Musharraf-instituted National Accountability Bureau replacing the notorious Ehtesab Bureau of PML(N) Senator Saifur Rehman, looked like making an honest effort at across-the-board accountability when Gen. Amjad was made Chairman of the NAB; but only to see him unfortunately resign as soon as he discovered the real motives of the set-up. It is common knowledge as revealed by an ex-CM of NAB Admiral Fasih Bokhari that in Pakistan there was a daily siphoning of an amount of RS 12 Billion on account of corruption and tax evasion. But it is disconcerting that despite knowledge of such pilferage, successive governments have been unable or unwilling to net the culprits. In this backdrop with an annual pilferage of Rs 4380 billion, pompous declaration by the current NAB Chairman that it had recovered around 350 billion Rupees during the last two years, was peanuts and a cruel joke because that amount more or less would equal the amount spent on maintaining the NAB infrastructure. NAB notably stands compromised with its infamous ‘Plea Bargaining’ provision. You surrender barely five to ten per cent of the loot and go scot-free, is simply ridiculous, and far from being helpful in tangible recoveries for the exchequer, is a patent abetment to crime.
The other inhuman and draconian NAB authority to arrest and detain an accused for months and years on its own, without any tangible proof submitted in a Court of Law, was in complete violation of fundamental rights; holding a person in custody before framing charges in a court of law irreparably devastating his image, honour and dignity, which cannot be restored unless the person or the agency which held the person unlawfully, is prosecuted in turn and put behind the bars. And if as reported, the NAB officials are entitled to any percentage of the recovery, this needs to be scrapped forthwith because like any public service, these officials are paid a salary and perks to do their job. NAB requires drastic amendments to become credible. Some thirty-five years back, a flock of Supervisors and Inspectors were recruited to plug revenue collection pilferage. The lot made it worse by claiming their own share in the let-offs during the process of inspection.
The CBR (Central Board of Revenue), since changed cosmetically to FBR and expanded, has delivered continually in the negative due to short-sighted policies in further taxing the already taxed, and announcing punitive measures for tax evaders instead of encouraging new filers with a nominal tax as a first step to get them into the net; no wonder that despite identifying millions of businesses, landed properties and automobile owners, the Government has failed to bring them into the net. The step to allow amnesty to investors in the construction industry aimed at providing shelter to the poor, has made it a bounty for real Estate besides affiliated Industries such as steel, cement, sanitary and hardware, where prices have skyrocketed; with even the labour demanding unrealistic package deals for the smallest job instead of diligently working on standard daily wages. Besides, these houses would be beyond common man’s reach with prices of fuel and consumables incessantly increasing. The only exception seems to be house rentals which for unknown reasons have in fact decreased quoting expanded availability and shrinking demand. “Where does someone like me go, who is retired with no pension, only has a house built with all his resources for posterity, and dependent entirely upon rent for his family’s daily living!,” said one of my mailers.
With the colonial system of judiciary refusing to change to suit an Islamic polity requiring speedy justice at the doorstep to all, and the good old panchayat system of elders evaporating with elusive or dysfunctional Local Bodies, the Institution of the Ombudsman was seen as a saving grace initially with innumerable people who could not sustain Courts and Kutchehries, getting relief on matters where public institutions were involved. But lately even there in several cases the institutions were not responding positively or carrying out their obligations by design or default, and rendering the esteemed office of the Ombudsman ineffective. In principle, the defendant failing to avail right of appeal with the President of Pakistan after losing the case, must never be entertained in the highest of judicial forums leave alone any lower court. But instances were galore, not only frustrating the complainant but also ridiculing the highest office of the president of the country.
Citizen’s Portal, another attempt to address woes of the common man also appears to be going in the same direction, since to begin with, it presupposes access to Information Technology to complainants, majority of which are hardly even literate; leave alone the fact that the procedure outlined is Greek to most of them who never manage to even file a complaint. Without having to quote instances which are countless, the present Government like those in the past is also getting carried away with self-assumed satisfaction of addressing common man’s problems. No Sir! Far from it, there are tens of millions who stand defrauded and swindled every single day by each other privately for which there is no forum. System Sir! Only a proper system will deliver in a civilized society.
—The writer is a media professional, member of Pioneering team of PTV and a veteran ex Director Programmes.
