Khadim-e-Punjab and NAB

Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Minister of Punjab, likes to project his image as a leader of the masses. He calls himself Khadim-e-Punjab (servant of Punjab) so the people think, unlike other politicians, he sought power to serve the people rather than to look out for himself. He has been reciting left-wing poet and political activist Habib Jalib's famous anti-establishment poem at public rallies and railing against the 'ashrafia' (power elites) for exploiting the poor, warning of a bloody revolution if things don't change for the better. He has also been saying he would resign if found involved in corruption worth even a 'dhela' (the smallest denomination coin). All that, of course, was before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) decided to investigate a case of alleged misuse of authority by him in the award of a contract for a low-cost housing scheme, which has turned out to be ghost scheme.
After his appearance before NAB on Monday, the servant of the people of Punjab addressed a press conference where he took out his anger at the investigators probing charges of wrongdoing against 56 companies established by his government, especially the Land Development Company's multibillion corruption scam in its Ashiana Iqbal Housing scheme, which was initiated in 2011 but to date exists only on paper. The NAB notice regarding the project, he claimed, was based on ill-intentions only to sully his reputation as the notice was repeatedly shown on TV screens to his detractors' delight. In that case, it should have been no problem for him to defend his position on the basis of merit, and use that as an opportunity to cock a snook at his opponents. But from what he had to say at the presser it was more than obvious that he had no sound answers to give the investigators, who asked him such annoying questions as to whether he was aware of the rules and regulations governing public limited companies, under which only the CEOs had the authority to make decisions? If so, under what rule did he preside over their meetings, and in the case of the Ashiana Iqbal housing scheme cancelled the best bidder's contract, awarding it to a 'proxy' group linked to a certain leader of the ruling party?
Like his older brother, disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the younger Sharif is unaccustomed to such rude questions. He is used to demanding and receiving submission to his command. In the good old days he could even call up a judge of the Lahore High Court - the infamous Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum, of course - to tell him what judgment to deliver in a case of his personal interest. Here was NAB putting questions to him to which he had no answer. Hence following Nawaz Sharif's policy of offense is the best defence, he made several irrelevant and untenable assertions. He contended that some of his political rivals, particularly PPP co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, were never summoned by NAB even though they had been accused of corruption worth billions of rupees, thus inadvertently admitting that, like those he pointed the finger at, the charges against him too were valid. In fact, his repetitive argument was that he should not be held to account unless all other suspects are subjected to a similar treatment. By the same token, a murder or some other offender caught red-handed would also be within his rights to tell the police 'first go arrest all involved in the same crime and then come and get me.' As regards his grumbling why the PPP leader is not being investigated, he needs a little memory recall. Zardari got a clean chit from NAB in an 'I scratch your back and you scratch mine' understanding with the Nawaz Sharif's government. It had helped weaken the NAB case against Zardari, leading to his exoneration. Also, Shahbaz Sharif should remember that after having vowed to extract 'looted money' from the PPP leader's stomach, he had publically apologized to him.
Turning to his tormenters, he demanded that the NAB Chairman tell his investigators "not to become collaborators of the PTI and PPP" followed by the threat "the duplicity in the application of the accountability law will not be accepted." In other words, what needs to be prevented is not pervasive financial corruption but NAB probe into Punjab government's shady affairs. Although he said he would join NAB proceedings whenever required, going back to his key argument he vowed to approach the "public court' if others involved in mega corruption cases were not summoned by NAB. As someone wisely said, good deeds should be done with intention, not for attention. A sincere servant of the people of Punjab would have exposed the looting and plundering of public resources he had knowledge of, irrespective of his NAB summons. And he should have happily gone along with the investigations to prove that true to his word he is not involved even a 'dhela' of corruption.
The unsavoury reality is that the Punjab Land Development Company has robbed thousands of low-income household of their hard-earned money and the dream of owning a house. That should have given sleepless nights to the self-proclaimed servant of the people. But he is refusing to take any responsibility, fuming instead at NAB for seeking explanations. Actually, his answer to NAB is clear from his the press conference: 'so what? Some others have been doing the same thing.
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