LAHORE: Those who are calling for judicial restraint must understand that it is this restraint by our judiciary over the years which has created in this country an environment where corruption is now rampant. It is this judicial restraint, over the years, that has also allowed military rule to hold sway in this country, and which conjured up things like the ‘doctrine of necessity’ in order to appease dictators.
No individual, whatever his status, can appropriate to himself the right to abuse laws, plunder state resources and demand that he be not subjected to judicial scrutiny, just because he is elected or holds a constitutional post. This country desperately requires an environment in which laws prevail, instead of the whims of individuals.
Pakistan faces a crisis that threatens its very survival as a viable sovereign state, and our only remedy is rule of law, where nobody can enjoy immunity for crimes against the state, such as tax evasion, abuse of powers and complicity in plunder of state resources. Political power comes with responsibility to abide by the Constitution, where those holding elected public office must be seen to lead by example.
Malik Tariq Ali
Published in The Express Tribune, January 19th, 2012.
