CE's Address to the Nation

By The Helpline Trust, Karachi

The recent address by Gen. Pervez Musharraf to the nation was sincere and assertive and loud and clear - “I have a mission and I am not going to quit till I achieve it”. But it did not hit the nail on the head, as it did not answer the million dollar question - WHY THE SECRECY - WHY WAS ACCOUNTABILITY AND THE RULE OF LAW COMPROMISED - WHY WAS NAWAZ SHARIF ALLOWED TO GO SCOTT FREE?

We all know that the real threat to Pakistan is not our discredited “leaders” and politicians, as they have lost their credibility among the citizens. This was clearly demonstrated by the low voter turn out in the last elections, in spite of the heavy mandate claimed by Nawaz Sharif. And no one protested when ZAB was hanged and when BB and NS were twice removed from office for corruption and the misuse and abuse of authority. The biggest threat to Pakistan has always been the lack of good governance, corruption, the breakdown of the rule of law and accountability. And all these have been given a severe setback with Nawaz Sharif being set free.

The issue here is not whether it was legal or not, but was it truly in the best interest of the nation and who should have been the best judge of that? The justification for the pardon presented by the CE has not been received well. Will it send a clear message to our future leaders that they will be punished for their sins and for robbing the nation? Will it deter them from the abuse and misuse of their authority? Will it deter future aadventurers from attacking the citadel of justice and corrupting and destroying our institutions? And most important, has it helped in establishing good governance and the rule of law and a better future for Pakistan? If a PM, convicted by the courts of Pakistan, is pardoned in the best interest of the nation, then what is there to stop other future leaders and politicians from following the same path?

After all, there are already a string of politicians, military brass and businessmen who have chosen exile, so as to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth in style and comfort. In fact Nawaz is smarter; he has succeeded in being officially pardoned by the President of Pakistan and therefore is a free man to travel around the world and live a life of luxury in Saudi palaces, under their protection and have the freedom to entertain his supporters and friends.

However, now according to the good General, the political arena has been cleansed of corrupt leaders, the road to a stable democracy, rule of law, unhindered accountability and economic revival is clear. So let us stop analyzing and questioning deeds which cannot be undone. Let us just sweep it once again under the carpet and start another attempt at nation building, by burying the past and looking to a better and prosperous future, not just for the privileged few, but for the entire nation.

Let us hope, that now that the troublesome thorns have been removed, the government will be able to concentrate on the more important issues like improving the economy, our international image and credibility and the quality of life of the citizens through good governance and, hopefully, the rule of law. We therefore once again request the CE to ensure that the citizens are provided with the basic facilities of life like clean water, electricity and safe roads and introduce laws like the Consumer Protection Bill, Patient’s Rights, Judicial, Police and Education reforms and other civic oriented laws, which will help achieve this objective and establish a permanent and stable democracy.