PPP Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari finally broke his silence on Monday over the recent arrests of fellow party members and accused Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of “repeating the politics of the 1990s”.Finding that his warning to army leadership had only compounded his problems, Asif Ali Zardari has trained his guns on Nawaz Sharif holding him responsible for ‘targeting PPP and other political opponents’. The cases against the PPP leaders have been initiated by the FIA, NAB and Rangers which are either constitutionally under the federal government or supposed to be amenable to its pressure. The sarcastic remarks by some of the PML-N leaders like Mushahidullah have strengthened the perception that the action against the PPP leadership has been taken with the federal government’s connivance if not under its directives. The PPP is threatening dire but unspecified ‘actions’ as a consequence of the arrests, but it is difficult to see exactly what those might be given that it has yet to recover from the drubbing of the 2013 elections. It will be for the courts of law to determine the guilt or innocence of those now detained. The judicial process itself is far from perfect, and the law-enforcement agencies not exactly shining examples of competence — but if the politics of Pakistan is ever to get cleaned up, then the big fish need to be caught. Corruption goes to the very top of the state. It is endemic in every part of political life, so much so that it is normative rather than deviant. It touches every political party as well, and if we are to be convinced that the current drive for accountability is equitable, then we would expect to be seeing an arrest of all corrupt elements within the PML-N as well. It goes without saying that the ruling party has its share of corrupt elements as well. The screed against the PML-N and Prime Minister Sharif centres on allegations of corruption, mis-governance and worse by the PML-N leadership. There is no attempt made by the PPP supremo to even address the deeply problematic questions raised about corruption and misrule in Sindh.All Mr Zardari appears to have to say in his and his inner circle’s defence is that others are tainted too. It is a sorry sight — the PPP left to twist in the wind in Sindh while its leader does little more than rage from abroad. As ever, it is not just one side that has abdicated its responsibilities. What really can be said about the PML-N government’s handling of the operation in Sindh? The government and its spokespersons barely pretend anymore that the political government is any way in control of or even shaping the contours of the operation that began with Karachi but is now clearly suffering from mission creep. The PML-N may have shown restraint in the face of Mr Zardari’s provocation, but the government appears powerless to do anything about the ever-lengthening shadow of the establishment.
pk.shafaqna.com
