A clash of titans

The last year has seen the judiciary, both federal and provincial, demonstrating a healthy independence from political manipulation. The latest example is in respect of the struggle between the leader of a police force that wishes to remain out of political clutches and push through necessary reforms, and a political party determined to have its own way and force the politicisation of the police force in Sindh. In the midst of this is IG Allah Dino Khawaja who has managed — just — to keep his head above water despite being rusticated once and under sustained pressure to leave his post for the best part of a year. Now, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has granted the IG the authority not only to complete his tenure but by implication to run the police force as an autonomous unit outside political control — at least in terms of reform and hiring and firing.

The Sindh police force has been a political plaything for decades, and since 1971 there have been a total of 57 IG’s appointed of which just two have completed their three-year tenure with IG Khawaja being the second. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) is in power in Sindh for the fourth time and has made determined efforts to oust Khawaja and replace him with one of their ‘favourites.’ Civil society thought differently, took the matter to court and now has a ruling in its favour, the court taking the 2012 case of Anita Turab as a precedent in that removing government department heads without completion of their tenure and for no substantive reason was wrong.

The Sindh judiciary has sent an unequivocal message to politicians — behave. This is a message to politicians everywhere and not only in Sindh. It is timely, appropriate and just one small part of the battle to subdue political corruption that is endemic across so much of the political landscape. More of the same please, everywhere.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 15^th, 2017.

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