Crime without punishment

‘Crime and Punishment’ was one of the greatest novels written by Fyodor Dostoevsky in 1866. It follows the mental anguish of a poor Russian student who plans to rob and kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker old woman. His justification is that he will put to use this money for great deeds. But post murder, his guilt and horror led him to punishing internal and external consequences. That is what a normal person and society would expect from people who err and break laws. What happens when crime is rewarded? What happens when crime doers are the “so called” leaders of a country? What happens when the crime gang is the lawmakers themselves who create laws to let crime be rewarded?

These are questions that require soul searching. These are questions that define the core of a society. These are questions that determine the future of a country. Pakistan is a classic example of how criminals have been rewarded and given leadership positions. This has happened repeatedly in the last four decades with the result that wrong has become a norm and questioning it is a crime and stupid idealism. Ruled by dictators and so-called democrats, Pakistan has always suffered due to a lack of integrity at the top. Most governments have been removed due to corruption and a gross disregard for rule of law. The two main parties i.e. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League – N (PMLN) have accused each other on corruption, filed cases and then compromised by settling on quid pro quo of closing down the cases. Musharraf, who was trying to hold them accountable, also made an NRO and closed down nearly 5000 cases on these parties. The PTI government’s tenure was short circuited as the accountability drive was about to nail the top offenders including the present prime minister. The reality of seeing 24 of the 34 cabinet members either on bail or with corruption charges is frightening. Why have we reached this level of degradation?

1. Law makers are law breakers – The fish rots from the top. When those who make laws for governance, for transparency are themselves involved in rule bending, the country becomes a flourishing field of crappy seeds. The most obvious example is the laws governing corruption. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) before this regime was almost defunct. Its laws made so many allowances for the corrupt that hardly anybody was caught. The real feud between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the rest of the parties arose when NAB laws were under amendment in the PTI government. Fearing that laws may become strict, the parties got together and with vested foreign interests bought and brought about the downfall of the present government. Even when the powerful are caught they get the benefit of “executive medical jails, house arrests, and better class jails” as per the laws made by themselves.

2. Institutions as pawns in the big game – In the developed world, the rule of law is administered through strong institutions. In Pakistan, institutions are at the beck and call of the powerful. The judiciary has had a history of serving the regimes or the dictators. The famous audio call of the present PM and the former CM Shahbaz Sharif to Justice Abdul Qayyum is self-explanatory. Even before the present regime took charge, FIA and police top brass were being transferred without any logic. This interference in state institutions makes it very difficult for merit, transparency and fairness to prevail. That is why the over alacrity of the courts to open at midnight in the present vote of no-confidence saga has made huge dents on the credibility of this system.

3. Compromised national interests – Compromised leaders lead to compromised interests. With poor countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan that are battle grounds for the big powers, independent leaders with integrity are not suitable. America has a history of patronizing leaders who are corrupt and thus pliable. The U.S aid in Pakistan has been misused by the governments but has made America stronger in its push on territorial encroachments. U.S insistence on using Pakistan’s bases and routes to invade Afghanistan has been no secret. Past governments have complied in return for aid and benefits. PTI government’s refusal to do so is definitely linked with this rather strange and unprecedented regime change.

Many feel that Pakistan will go through the same cycle of one government being removed on corruption leading to another one going on a corruption binge. Not so. There are many differences between the removal of this government and the previous ones and those are the opportunities:

1. The odd way of regime change – The style in which this government went and the new one came has not just raised eyebrows, but an uproar. The open selling of parliamentarians. The imprisonment in Sindh house and hotels. The sudden departure of the allies to the opposition camp. And most of all 14 opposition parties joining hands to remove one party is not going to be taken easily at all. The cable cypher mentions the removal of “Imran Khan through the vote of no-confidence as a precondition for escaping American wrath.” All this has touched a chord of public outrage that will not subdue any time soon.

2. A very open media world – In the world of social media, exposé is a click away. Boris Johnson’s party-gate scandal during COVID restrictions nearly removed him from his position. That is why the explosive happenings of the last two weeks in the politics of Pakistan has reached every Pakistani home and abroad. The fierce debates, the ferocious videos and the constant vlogs of experts has set the stage for a battle of the century where the social media warriors are as important as the political opponents.

3. A startled nation rising to the call – The unusual happenings, the overhyped social media has touched the alarm pulse of most citizens of Pakistan. Never before have we witnessed such natural mobilization of the masses. People are disturbed yet determined. They are wanting to be part of history. This rise of emotion is key. PTI Chairman Imran Khan has told them to be ready for his call to Islamabad and it will be interesting to see how this emotion is channelized into a country wide move to the capital.

This is a moment for truth. This is a trial of a nation. Will this charged emotion fizzle out and we will see the same apathy in the people of Pakistan in the coming years? Or will this emotion be strong, deep and impactful enough to create history where crime and criminals are made to pay? These are history making times and for each Pakistani there is the chance to either be history or make history.

The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst