PTI & the politics of accountability

Without space for anonymity, even those with genuine complaints will hesitate in reaching out to the commission

The PTI’s politics hinge on its vocal stand against corruption, but some of its actions in the province where it is in power, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), at times do not substantiate these claims. The most recent concern on this front was the tug of war between the K-P Accountability (Ehtesab) Commission and the provincial government. The director general of the accountability body, Mohammad Hamid Khan, recently quit his post after the K-P government amended the law governing the workings of the commission through an ordinance. The resignation raises several questions about the priorities of the K-P government when it comes to the PTI’s many promises on accountability. One of the amendments to the relevant law bars the commission from acting on anonymous complaints. But according to a letter from Mr Khan to the chief minister, nearly 70 per cent of complaints received are anonymous or are under pseudonyms but have enough information for action to be initiated. Another amendment requires the consent of the provincial or National Assembly speaker or the Senate chairman, as the case may be, before a legislator is arrested, while the consent of the provincial chief secretary will be required before a civil servant can be arrested.

Mr Khan sent letters to the chief minister’s office to highlight these and other concerns, and while this is not to say that the government should have readily accepted all the concerns raised, at least the issues brought up should have been debated upon. Some of the concerns Mr Khan raised do appear to have some validity. For instance, without space for anonymity, even those with genuine complaints will most likely hesitate in reaching out to the commission. The independence of the commission is also in danger of being compromised if it is to be expected to intimate provincial or National Assembly speakers and the provincial chief secretary before arrests. While the formation of the Ehtesab Commission was indeed a welcome step, recent events are disappointing. This does not bode well for a party that so actively advocates accountability.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2016.

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