Learning from our neighbours
Rath’s crime was he provided No-Objection Certificate to private construction company without informing his...
The court martial of Indian Lieutenant-General PK Rath on charges of corruption in the Sukna land scam is sure to provide fodder to the usual suspects in Pakistan. Look, they will say, this proves that the Indian Army is as corrupt as its counterparts in Pakistan. But we should be taking a very different lesson from this case. Both civilian politicians and the military in India have been implicated in corruption scandals. Yet the difference between the two countries is that in India, the guilty have been held responsible for their misdeeds.
PK Rath’s crime was that he provided a No-Objection Certificate to, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with, a private construction company without informing his superiors. The involvement of the army in business deals will sound familiar to Pakistanis. We finally have a Supreme Court that is not beholden to, or afraid of, the army, so some of its commercial activities are now being scrutinised. That is what happened in the Makro case, but given the scope of the army’s business interests, this reflects only the tip of the iceberg. What is unthinkable is that the Pakistan Army would hold its own accountable in a transparent manner.
In the recent past, Indian generals have been hauled up on charges as diverse as sexual assault to possessing property disproportionate to their incomes. Even in the Sukna land scam, it was a sustained public outcry that prompted action. At an earlier court martial, it was recommended that Lieutenant-General Avadesh Praksah, who was also involved in the corruption controversy, be fired. The then army chief, Deepak Kapoor, however, decided to let Prakash off with a mere slap on the wrist. A public hue and cry erupted, leading to a stern, ultimately successful recommendation from the defence minister, calling on Praksah to be relieved of his post. This is a good example of the fact that in India, it is the civilian set-up that is in charge. Before pointing fingers at India, we should ask if we can say the same of ourselves.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2011.
PK Rath’s crime was that he provided a No-Objection Certificate to, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with, a private construction company without informing his superiors. The involvement of the army in business deals will sound familiar to Pakistanis. We finally have a Supreme Court that is not beholden to, or afraid of, the army, so some of its commercial activities are now being scrutinised. That is what happened in the Makro case, but given the scope of the army’s business interests, this reflects only the tip of the iceberg. What is unthinkable is that the Pakistan Army would hold its own accountable in a transparent manner.
In the recent past, Indian generals have been hauled up on charges as diverse as sexual assault to possessing property disproportionate to their incomes. Even in the Sukna land scam, it was a sustained public outcry that prompted action. At an earlier court martial, it was recommended that Lieutenant-General Avadesh Praksah, who was also involved in the corruption controversy, be fired. The then army chief, Deepak Kapoor, however, decided to let Prakash off with a mere slap on the wrist. A public hue and cry erupted, leading to a stern, ultimately successful recommendation from the defence minister, calling on Praksah to be relieved of his post. This is a good example of the fact that in India, it is the civilian set-up that is in charge. Before pointing fingers at India, we should ask if we can say the same of ourselves.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2011.