‘Accountability has won but democracy has lost’

Some social activists laud SC verdict on Panamagate, but others say it has derailed democratic process

LAHORE: Reactions from social activists over the Panamagate verdict were a mixed bag, much like the response of political parties who were either out protesting or celebrating.

Lauding the decision, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Chairperson Dr Mehdi Hasan said money laundering and corruption were a clear violation of human rights. “Therefore, people holding powerful public positions cannot be given the right to perform without accountability,” he said.  “The wrongful use go public money is a human rights violation and we support this manner of accountability,” Hasan said.



He added that if political parties were found misusing public resources, it becomes the responsibility of the courts and the establishment to ensure they are curtailed.”



Lawyer and Digital Rights Foundation founder Nighat Dad said there was little doubt that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was keeping the nation and parliament in the dark over embezzlement. However, she stressed that the nation needed to revisit the origins and history of article 62 and 63 of the Constitution which formed the basis of the PM’s disqualification.

“A PM of Pakistan was also assassinated by using provisions of the same article,” Nighat said. She added accountability may have been the ultimate victor, but democracy had lost its fight yet again. ‘No prime minister in the history of Pakistan has ever completed his or her tenure.”

She said people who are celebrating this ruling needed to consider the article a two-edged sword as the petitioner and opposing political parties could fall on the same slippery slope.

Aima Khosa, a representative of the People’s Solidarity Forum, said democracy was facing an uncertain future again as Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification reminded the country that no PM had completed their term. “The courts, today, upheld this infamous tradition.”



He said it was a must to reflect on certain concepts which made the power of the people so fragile. Khosa was of the view that corruption in Pakistan was at the heart of the matter as it was a structural problem and represented networks that tend to cross international boundaries. “It links the public and private sector actors with outright criminals, including terrorists.”

He said the disqualification of a prime minister will not address structural problems since the men and women of the working classes remained unaffected by Friday’s events.

“The ‘accountability begins from the top’ mantra will not change the immediate situation, which is dire. All the while, our leaders play a game of thrones,” Khosa added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2017.