Lahore killings: Economic consequences

The inaction by the government is not understandable. All reasonable humans are furious at the various statements from the diehard loyalists of the PML-N. The issue is very simple and any one who has violated the principles as laid down in the Pakistan Penal code and the Criminal Procedure Code needs to answer. The police is, as the keeper of conscience, cannot be forgiven for what has been gross miscarriage of judgement. Unless action under the relevant law is not taken there will be chaos and confusion. Was the Stafford Commission report correct that the Muslims of the subcontinent cannot be considered mature enough for independence? The recent trend and events seem to indicate a definite direction that we have undertaken. The safeguards of democracy are not based on the political parties supporting such actions in an omnibus fashion. The chaos in Karachi is an indication of that very culture of indifference. I have been advocating for sometime that beyond a certain size a town is not governable. Karachi, Lahore and other big cities are indicators of what is going on. To add to our misery the civil reforms carried out by the Musharraf regime added to the existing weaknesses in management. The civil service was accused of being a colonial service. If that be so what is not colonial in this country. The judicial system, the armed forces and the revenue system are all part of the colonial system. So what was required as not to give the service a bad name and dismiss it? What happened in Lahore between the accounting services was shameful and we have seen these situations develop in the services. The political system has done much harm. Has the political system delivered to the people of Pakistan? The answer is in the negative. In fact, when I saw the diatribe against Dr Tahirul Qadri in terms of vilification for his assets my mind immediately went to the assets that the politicians have declared on the website.

A series of detailed articles would be forthcoming immediately after Eid. I was worried that the FBR has not taken cognisance of the assets and how these were acquired. I am sure the need for IMF/WB would not have been necessary. There is so much juice in the assets that Pakistan could have kept its financial integrity if only it had had the courage to tax our great national assembly members. But that will not be so.

What was the offence under which these Model Town criminals should have been tried? The offences were and are serious and attract sections dealing with murder, attempted murder and manslaughter in which non-premeditated intention allows for some reprieve. The firing of the gun alone constitutes an offence but the role of the abettor has to be determined and his guilt connected. We know that in the Punjab the bureaucracy is akin to a eunuch unable to take independent decisions. Everything that is done from milk production to abattoir is done under the scrutiny of powerful personality of the chief executive. The bureaucracy has been bashed around and I know the abusive language used on officials. People will accept any amount of abuse to have the convenience of staying in Lahore. That has been exploited by the PML-N and its leadership. The senior courts are silent on the Model Town killings.

Well then how will and who will explain away dead bodies and more than a hundred injured. Shaheed Bhutto suffered much more from the actions of the powerful at that moment although the crime committed was not even strong on circumstantial evidence. But that is a matter which although technically over required a serious review so that these kinds of mistakes are not repeated. Ignorance of law is no excuse and I cannot imagine that the IG of the province was ignorant of the law. He was afraid of the consequences. Pakistan penal code be dammed.

This avoidance and evasion of law is now known to everyone and people will start taking pot-shots at every one, hoping that no action will be taken against them. The inaction of the police will lead to a series of astonishing abuse of the social system, nothing is safe any more. If the law and order situation is as it is then there will be no foreign investment. In capitalism safety of life and liberty aside there is special emphasis on property rights. The investor does not have that right nor the right to have contractual obligations implemented. How are the investors to react to a destabilised situation? Who will correct the instability?

Pakistan’s law and order agencies are already very thin on the ground. What if this erupts in the rural areas? How will these matters be resolved? Try having a look at the police reforms of 2004. I had said then and in umpteen columns that the police need a buffer personality. That was required as the police do not have the negotiating skills. The District Magistrates role was given to whom? Ask Naqvi the reform sage. He had no idea where it was going and he had no idea where it would end. The district magistrate’s role was supervised not by the executive of the province but by the High courts. Have a look at the High court Rules of 1861, which are still in position. Men of courage and men of will are required and no person is to be held to do anything by order. In fact it is very much in order to decline an order that is illegal. Pray who determined the legality or the illegality of the orders that early morning? That internal censorship system is developed in public life through exponential experience.

Getting it back on track is now the sine qua non of the civil and police services. I recall when these reforms were being implemented some of the senior officers objected. The political-military bosses of that time were very adamant as to what they wanted. The police would be there and the armed forces would back them up. Unfortunately the recordings of the minutes of these meetings do not enter the intention of the decision-makers. Life for the ordinary person has been made more difficult. We are given to extreme deprivations and when deprivation added on then we have the devil incarnate amongst us. A dead body here and a dead body there in jute bags and an occasional body that is hanging by the tree. Some parent’s girl is brutally assaulted and the muzzammat that follows does not help the dead from coming to life. One dead body and the report is followed by another order to send a report. The public does not know what is the end result of these muzzammats and these reports? Had the East Pakistan of old been here by now public opinion would have sorted the matter out? But why lament? They were great at social understanding and the rights of their citizens. These strong arm tactics by the government of the day will not help. There is too much in memory to forgive another failure of this kind. Power used will attract all the dynamics of Newton’s law and will be answered by an equal response. Our valiant men will lose their life all because of bad governance of decades.

Democracy I am told is at risk? As Pope said what is best administered is best administered. There are no shortcuts to having a bureaucracy that lives and dies by its actions and not by the directions of powerful personalities. Power is ultimately transitory. And so when the rights of one man go the rights of all men go. The lessons are before us. Please do not abuse history it does not pay. If society is in such a mess who will come here? Why live in delusions?