Panama Papers is an issue of ethics, morality and conflicts of interests of those holding public offices of importance
LAHORE: This is apropos your editorial comments and numerous reports and statements by the opposition on the issue of ethics following the disclosure of the Panama leaks and holding of offshore accounts by citizens of Pakistan. It is not just an issue about legality or otherwise of those holding such accounts — which can only be established after a money trail has been uncovered — but an issue of ethics, morality and conflicts of interests of those holding public offices of importance where the fate of millions and our national security are at stake.
When elected and paid custodians of the state and the national exchequer themselves become party to institutionalised corruption and flight of resources, such a state becomes a victim of financial terrorism from within. It is a Biblical saying that there is enough in this world to satisfy the needs of all humans, but not to fill the insatiable greed of one man. It is both an Islamic principle and a universally accepted code of governance that rulers should be free from any conflicts of interests. Trading was and is legitimate for any citizen, yet, upon assuming the role of a caliph, even Hazrar Abu Bakr (RA) ceased his business. Those who aspire to hold elected or paid public office should either choose to do business or hold such offices.
The basic objective of colonialists was and continues to be flight of capital accompanied by a systematic monopoly over the natural resources of colonies under occupation, so as to ensure an uninterrupted supply to sustain financial and industrial growth in Europe. Following the killings of millions of young men and women in the Second World War, it was no longer possible for the British colonial empire to sustain its physical hold, forcing the Raj to gracefully bow to the political struggle waged by the Quaid-e-Azam and Mahatma Gandhi in 1947. However, former colonialists, with their developed human resources, still needed natural resources and funds to sustain their engine of growth. They encouraged corrupt elected governments and tyrannical dictators of the Third World to park their illegitimate wealth in foreign banks to boost their economy, and these New East India Company operatives were assured confidentiality by giving legitimacy to offshore accounts for a one-way flow of wealth.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, April 29th, 2016.
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