THE report submitted by the National Accountability Bureau to the Supreme Court listing the details of 150 cases being pursued by NAB inspires little confidence. For one, the list appears to be a casual exercise, giving only a broad outline of the cases with names and the “gist of allegation”, with amounts arbitrarily put down. Many of the cases are over a decade old, yet are listed as “inquiry under progress”. The history of pursuing corruption cases in Pakistan is a chequered one mainly because of the repeated compromises struck between parties on account of political interference, the selective nature of the allegations, and political motivations behind many of the charges. It is worth noting the absence of names from the armed forces on the list. Why is it that three generals named in the Asghar Khan case, against whom the Supreme Court ordered legal proceedings, have still not been prosecuted? It is also worth recalling the zeal with which Gen Musharraf promised to pursue corruption cases at the start of his decade in power. Within a few years, he was forced to reach out to the same political class he had vilified in the early stages for being corrupt, and NAB granted a clean bill of health to the leadership of the PMLQ while continuing to pursue cases against the leaders of the other parties. This ignominious history ended with the NRO that saw Gen Musharraf come full circle in bargaining away his corruption allegations in return for political support.


In fact, one of the main reasons why NAB’s list of pending cases is so long is precisely because corruption has become a political trope in our lexicon, a generic allegation with which to smear political opponents. The selective use of corruption allegations means that the real culprits get away. Everybody knows how large a role corruption plays in the articulation of our politics and distortion of our policy environment, but the only place where the allegations get to stick is in the public perception, rarely ever in a court of law. By not being able to solve the cases before it, NAB proves that corruption is little more than a red herring in our society, used to malign and victimise political opponents. Establishing an independent anticorruption body is necessary, with appropriate powers to initiate an inquiry and take it all the way to prosecution. But ensuring that such a body is not politicised will be a big challenge.


IT was the sign that perhaps all those on the side of peaceful conflict-resolution were looking for: the Pakistani state getting directly involved in bringing together representatives of the Afghan government and the Afghan Taliban to effectively discuss the possibility of a peace and reconciliation process. That the US and China also had observers present at the Murree meeting suggests that it was a concerted, international effort — exactly what Afghanistan needs. To be sure, a peace process needs to be Afghan-owned — without the government and the Taliban leadership fully on board, there is no possibility of stability in Afghanistan — and final terms will have to be negotiated directly between the state and the insurgents. But regional and international support for a peace process is also key. Perhaps until there is a full-fledged peace process, the outside powers can nudge efforts along to produce an Afghan-owned peace process.
Clearly, were it not for Pakistan’s willingness to use its influence over the Afghan Taliban, the Murree meeting would not have taken place. Until now, the degree of influence the state here has over the Taliban has been disputed by Pakistan. The claim was that Pakistan’s influence has diminished and it never was the mastersubordinate relationship that many in the West allege the Pakistan-Taliban relationship to have been. What was perplexing though was quite why Pakistan had not made an obvious effort to reciprocate Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s determined outreach to it. Now, perhaps some of those doubts will dissipate. As the Foreign Office spokesperson indicated yesterday, the Murree meeting is not expected to be a one-off and that post-Eid another round of dialogue may be hosted by Pakistan. There truly has not been a better moment for Pakistan to take the diplomatic lead on Afghanistan. The American determination to withdraw militarily from Afghanistan, China’s willingness to engage more on Afghanistan and Pakistani military operations in Fata having won back a great deal of space for the state here all mean that now is the time to encourage the Afghan Taliban to seek a peaceful compromise that brings stability to the region.
Yet, welcome as it is to see the Pakistani state play a frontline role in a possible peace process, there is still a long, long way to go and much can go wrong. The most obvious challenge is that past apparent breakthroughs have gone nowhere and this time round, a talks process would play out with the Afghan Taliban having the momentum on the battlefield. Much as the world may want a peaceful settlement in Afghanistan, does the Taliban’s leadership share that vision? And even if it does, can the leadership convince the rank and file to lay down their arms, especially when the new generation has known nothing but war? There are, as ever, many unanswered questions in Afghanistan.



THERE are many remarkable feats woven into Pakistan’s victory against Sri Lanka in Pallekele on Tuesday. The win was due, ultimately, to the combination of new talent and the veteran. This not just symbolised continuity but also reconfirmed the merits of perseverance. After the game, Younis Khan praised the effort of Shan Masood, his partner, in the all-important 242-run alliance in the chase for the 377-run target. The compliments reflected brightly on Younis himself, who followed his grand stand with Shan with a final and decisive push towards the target with skipper Misbahul Haq. The unbeaten 171 by Younis ranks among his finest scores. It must be one of the best innings played in a run-chase by Pakistanis who are not exactly renowned for going after targets, however big or small. In rare instances, when they have managed to overcome their tendency to self-destruct in panic, success has often been preceded by hiccups, unlike this one which many could predict 100 runs earlier.

Pakistan’s 2-1 series win was contributed to by so many players that the occasion adds to cricket’s reputation as a team sport. The happy twist came in the shape of the extraordinary stand between a very determined Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed in the first Test, with Yasir Shah, who is hailed by some as the best leg-spinner in the world today, bringing a much-needed air of mystery and guile to the game. The team lost the second Test to the Sri Lankans led by a very gutsy Angelo Mathews. But if the loss in the second game triggered familiar fears about Pakistan’s ability to slip after every climb, the urge to stay calm during the chase in the final, series-deciding game offered something that fans of the Pakistanis would want their team to build upon. There are many aspects the side would want to work on to ensure consistency in performance. However, as they guard against panic, their nemesis, they have a new example in Sri Lanka which they can emulate.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2015
http://www.dawn.com/newspaper/editorial

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"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling ,but in rising every time we fall". (Nelson Mandela)