It is our misfortune that we are born in a country where the rulers do not feel any trouble in their conscience when they work against the law of the land. Despite all this, they claim that they are law-abiding people and have high regard for the law. Until they remain in power, they do not work for the supremacy of the law, but rather they only make lip-service in this regard.
Had they obeyed the law in real terms and behaved sensibly, indeed dictators would not have come in Pakistan again and again. Regrettably, whenever a chance came by the hands of the Pakistanis to make the law supreme in the country, it is the political leaders who put every spoke in its wheel and do not catch time by the forelock. Here, I do not want to go into the details as we know all what they have been doing to foil the movement/effort that was made in the past to establish the hegemony of the law in Pakistan.
Since the verdict has been announced, the majority of Pakistanis became happy. They were of the view that those, who made money illegally, would be given exemplary punishment so that others could not dare involve in filthy activities and also to those, who did nothing and had been involved wittingly in corruption or other cases would be declared innocent and deterrent punishment given to those who made false cases.
Though two months are about to elapse, hardly any serious effort has been made on the part of the concerned to implement the full court decision of the Supreme Court in letter and spirit. If these cases could not be decided in 8 to 10 years, the reason thereof besides others is the Pakistan's ruling and elite class. We know that our judicial system is not free of influence, revenge, or threat. The failure to produce witnesses in the courts is also a major stumbling-block in dispensation of the justice in Pakistan. Witnesses feel quite unsafe as law does not provide them any practical protection. Therefore, much delay occurs in deciding the court cases, including the aforesaid reasons.
Viewed in this background, it is wrong to say that the charges levelled against the persons whom the benefit of NRO was given were baseless. In this connection, it is stated that thousands of cases are lying pending in various courts of Pakistan for decades. Should we consider that these cases are bogus? If so, why not the benefit of NRO was/is given to those who are lying in jails for years?
When someone casts an eye on his surroundings, he finds that their personalities are usually subservient to the law, while in Pakistan, the boot is on the other leg. Here, the law of the land has become a bondwoman of the big. The law looks them good when it works for them. When it starts bringing them to book, in return, for their wrongful acts; it begins to look them bad like a thorn in their eyes.
The same mentality has had the present rulers. When the then Chief Justice was pronouncing judgements in favour of the present regime, its stalwarts were praising these decisions and advising their rivals to accept them tacitly. What wrong has now happened to them? Why are they thinking to make a head-on collision with the courts? What a duplicity it is!
Let us see what our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) said in this regard. He said like this: the earlier nations were destroyed as they were in the habit of catching the poor when they had committed crimes and left the big. He forbade his followers not to do that; otherwise their end would be similar to them. He further opined: if Fatima is found stealing, she cannot be saved from the punishment no matter she is my daughter.
Both big and small are equal in the eyes of the law. Therefore, efforts should be made to treat them alike when justice has to dispense with. If we did wrong, we must not try to cleverly escape from the law. What will others say when we are not ready even to accept the supremacy of the law?
When the Supreme Court had ordered to take actions against the beneficiaries of the NRO, why is the Prime Minister of Pakistan so reluctant in implementing its orders in letter and spirit? Being the chief executive of Pakistan, it is not only his bounden duty to obey the law himself but also make others bind to act on it no matter it may be displeasing to his party men.