EDITORIAL: It’s increasingly clear that the saga of former prime minister (PM) Imran Khan’s disqualification for five years is far from over and it is now up to the honourable courts to uphold or discard ECP’s (Election Commission of Pakistan’s) ruling on the Toshakhana reference. Yet the fact remains that whichever way the judges tilt, this matter has opened one big can of worms that nobody will now be able to close.
That is why perhaps the sanest remark following the announcement came from PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, himself a former PM, lamenting the disqualification and accepting that “competition in politics should be on the ground,” – though not before noting the irony in how “the one who accused others of corruption has been proved corrupt himself.”
The first worm out of the can is the obvious question that everybody is asking; and no longer in hushed voices. It did seem as if ECP rushed this case, so was it a matter of the chips falling into place rather quickly, something that would substantiate the “open and shut” claim, or did this have some
thing to do with Imran falling out of grace with the so-called establishment – just one of the many similarities with Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification a few years ago? Sadly, the court’s final decision will not answer this question because the judiciary has itself left a lot to be desired when it comes to protecting its sanctity from outside, more powerful influence.
PTI’s (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s) response surprised nobody. It’s already approached the IHC (Islamabad High Court), requesting it to rule that ECP has no jurisdiction to decide matters of “corrupt practice or disqualification”, and also to have the reference itself declared “incompetent, unlawful, illegal and without lawful authority.”
Its leadership is livid, and understandably so, since what started with a bang seems to have ended with a whimper so soon after Imran Khan swept the October 16 by-polls. Now all eyes are on the court as it begins proceedings with the start of the week.
It’s, however, a shame that Shahid Khaqan’s is a lonely voice calling for resetting the ground rules and the political elite, as a whole, has no qualms about rubbing salt in wounds that they all share.
Rather than take delight in PTI’s troubles, as PTI once did when PML-N was cornered, a more mature group of politicians would have used this event to finally put its foot down and call for much-needed introspection and interaction.
This particular reference, just to name one issue, would never have got to this point, if only everybody had agreed to have ECP reconcile declaration of assets with similar documents submitted to FBR (Federal Board of Revenue) along with income tax returns, which includes a wealth statement. Instead, they chose to bicker and fight, leaving everything tied in legal knots that will take a long time to untie. There can be no doubt of course that only politicians themselves can set the rules of the game, that they can only do it in parliament, and that it is then up to the people to decide between them.
When they blow up things like the Toshakhana reference and institutions, including the judiciary, mobilise to disqualify seasoned politicians – present and former heads of state or government, no less – when the country is drowning in a sea of financial troubles mainly because of growing political instability, they do nobody any good; not even themselves.
Everybody knows that all of them are in it for the perks of power, not at all to serve the people, yet they continue to grapple each other for the big seat even if their reckless, needless and senseless fighting risks leaving them nothing to sit on top of.
For now, though, PTI has promised to fight all cases till the end, while the government is boasting that this is just the beginning. A prolonged deadlock is inevitable as ordinary Pakistanis watch from the sidelines and rue the day their democracy delivered them self-serving politicians who always put their own selfish interests ahead of the needs of the state and its people.
As far as they are concerned, the Toshakhana reference and its likely reversal make for just one more ugly episode in a long drama that gives them nothing tangible at the end of the day. Hence their own little plea that the courts wrap these matters up as soon as possible.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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