Meddling in justice

The latest set of developments in the ongoing National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) saga is disturbing. It indicates the manner in which the influential can wiggle their way out of any attempt to enforce justice, and also as far as politics goes, of the power of blackmail in a situation where the ruling party has already lost vital allies and fears the possibility of being left without a majority. As things stand now, it is in danger of running into trouble with the Supreme Court for quite blatantly, and without much finesse, defying its orders. Just days after the apex court restored FIA Additional Director General Zafar Qureshi as lead investigator in the NICL probe — in which it is suspected Moonis Elahi, son of the PML-Q’s Pervaiz Elahi, is a central player in the scam involving millions — Qureshi, reputed to be an honest officer, was sent on his way once more, this time through a suspension on ‘disciplinary’ grounds. His previous removal from the probe some weeks ago had already brought some terse comments from the Supreme Court bench hearing the case.

The FIA official, it is understood, had been summoned by the interior minister prior to the latest action against him, and asked to go on long leave, find Elahi ‘not guilty’ or face tough action. Mr Qureshi — who must be commended for his sense of principle in times when it is a rare commodity — had turned down the first two options. The PPP, meanwhile, at a high-level meeting with PML-Q leaders, had been threatened with a possible withdrawal from the alliance if the Qureshi affair was not dealt with.

But meddling of this kind in the course of justice is unacceptable and only tends to further soil the reputation of the government in the eyes of the general public. It defies the entire concept of the rule of law and equal treatment for all citizens, and more firmly nails into place the unfortunate tradition that allows some to be treated differently to others. This can only hurt governance and the working of the state, in times when its wheels do not run smoothly in the first place, falling periodically into ruts and ditches along the road.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2011.