- A culture of accuse first ask questions afterwards
Part of the PTI’s legacy, once it is done with its attempt to ‘change’ the country, will be the culture it encouraged and therefore legitimized at every level of government, to point fingers through state machinery, at opponents without making proper inquiries. This practice and the hypocrisy associated with it is most attributable to NAB. For close to two years there has been a severe skew in favor of parliamentarians and bureaucrats in the government and against the opposition resulting in up to yearlong detentions of former prime ministers, senior bureaucrats, federal cabinet ministers, businessmen and journalists. It is a methodical process directed towards an eventual goal of completely tarnishing the accused’s reputation before he is able to secure bail from the higher judiciary due to a lack of evidence meriting further detention let alone a conviction leading to sentencing.
This practice has now graduated from individual-specific to entire industries, the latest being independent power producers (IPPs). A PTI government ordered inquiry report alleging unfair agreements, misappropriation in tariffs and fuel consumption rates has been released to the media. IPP’s have since rejected all such allegations and have complained that they have not been questioned or consulted at any stage of the compilation of the report while claiming that despite being owed close to Rs 600 billion in arrears, they still plug the country’s energy production gaps. Only a week back a hollow FIA report on the sugar and wheat shortage crisis was released to the public and that too had not questioned properly the relevant parties around which the report had been framed.
This is a problematic process of executing the PTI’s single-fold agenda of accountability without substance or due process. Apart from discouraging foreign investment in the country, it does very little to contribute towards eliminating the widespread issue of institutionalized corruption. There is a dire need to create a process of investigation that recognizes cases only after significant evidence comes to light to proceed with filing of formal charges and prosecution. At the moment, this is being done in reverse, to the reputational detriment of individuals, businesses and industries.