All that holders of public office are just as accountable for their actions as the common man
There is nothing remotely odd or even demeaning about a sitting prime minister appearing before a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the Panama Papers case. And no matter how many tongues wagged — especially that of government opponents like Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and others — one is glad that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif showed no hesitation or uneasiness about facing the commission. In fact, he spent the better part of two hours with the commission, fielding questions and sharing whatever relevant records he possessed.
There can be no ignominy in such appearances, as they are a reminder to all that holders of public office are just as accountable for their actions as the common man. This is what you do and what you should expect in a democratic set-up in the first place. We also need to discard the notion that politicisation in this way or that can colour the findings of the JIT or any investigative body. Administered and mandated by the Supreme Court, the JIT is competent enough to see through any attempt to politicise the proceedings. For several opposition parties, however, the battlefield is elsewhere — out in the streets and not in the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) building.
After emerging from the FJA building — current headquarters of the JIT — Mr Sharif spoke angrily of a plot to slander his family over amassing huge wealth and blamed some behind-the-scene actors for trying to subvert the will of the electorate. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is finding it hard to resist the temptation of paying back the prime minister’s detractors in the same coin. It has to stay unruffled and keep its opponents guessing if it wants to ride out the storm and get to the bigger goal of electoral success. The prime minister has to bring his party to heel because any misstep at this stage could prove to be disastrous.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2017.
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