Where there was accountability it was gained against great odds, and prosecutions never mind investigations as rare as teeth in a hen. Rolling back a culture such as this is a Herculean task, and not going to be accomplished easily, but the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seems of late to have acquired both muscle and traction, and with a government in place committed to battling corruption no matter where and at the doorstep of whoever, the climate may be right to challenge the impunity of the culture of impunity.
NAB on Wednesday approved probes against a number of prominent figures, including the newly appointed Minister for Defence Pervaiz Khattak and the Speaker of the Sindh Assembly as well as the Mayor of Karachi. These are the big fish, not the minnows and NAB has them on the hook for the misuse of power — Mr Khattak — having assets beyond known means — Mr Durrani — and the alleged misuse of funds in Karachi — Mr Akhtar. All three had hitherto been untouchable but they now join a list of ‘prominents’ that NAB is to investigate.
It is of course improper to predict any outcome or assume any guilt prior to judicial proceedings — in which anybody may be found guilty or innocent and none of these people have been found in either way thus far — but the mere fact that they are in the frame for investigation amounts to a cultural sea change. The director of NAB has said in the past week that its “top priority was to conclude mega corruption cases.” The wheels of justice move exceeding slow but they are at least moving, and carrying accountability forwards as they do. Continue please.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 7th, 2018.
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