Sultan Suleman |
Before PTI’s government came into power, we were pretty sure and assumed that top PTI brass and other PTI members were talented and educated and when come to power in the center would surely work for the greater good of the country and welfare of the common man.
We were certain that they will outsmart their predecessors and perform their jobs with dignity, sincerity and excel in their individual roles.
As PTI waives 300 Billion for industrialists let us remember they ended scholarships, stopped subsidising medicines, cut back on free treatments at hospitals, and demolished poor peoples houses and shops. https://t.co/RSv0qrncu6
— Assad Zulfiqar Khan (@pseudorebel) August 31, 2019
Yes, there are some people who are working tirelessly and sincerely to make a positive difference in their ministries as well as the common man, while there are also who are working for the select few as or as we call it THE ELITE.
Though scrapping the recent GIDC ordinance in which the PTI government decided to give a waiver of 50 percent to the industries which form the total amount of Rs.417 billion which was owed to the federal government that the industries had already collected, is a good omen.
PTI representatives are more smart and shrewd than their predecessors who do not want to be under investigation during or after they leave the government
PM Imran Khan took the right step to withdrew the ordinance and settle the matter in accordance with the law of the land and constitution but only after the case was highlighted in the media on a daily basis.
This should be an eye-opener for Prime Minister Khan as it has lifted many veils from the faces of cabinet members whose loyalties clearly lay elsewhere and a golden opportunity to bring his house in order if he does not want to face any further embarrassment and likely NAB cases in the future.
I wish some of the ministers and special selected group of people (Special Advisors To The Prime Minister) anticipated common man problems and suggested the solutions too in the same way they are anticipating their fate as PPP & PML (N) parliamentarians who are in jail or under trail, when they themselves leave the government at the hands of NAB and as a preemptive measure are proposing changes to curb the powers of NAB.
Read more: Naya Pakistan: Is PTI looking for fresh ideas to improve governance?
The proposal by the PTI government to curb the powers of NAB is underway while the opposition when in power only talked about it.
This clearly indicates that some PTI representatives are more smart and shrewd than their predecessors who do not want to be under investigation during or after they leave the government because there are already too many conflicts of interest potential cases that can be liable to NAB prosecution in the future.
Some of the proposals to curb the powers of NAB are:
1) Introducing a threshold for NAB Of Rs500 Million to investigate corruption cases.
2) NAB’s authority on tax matters and stock markets should end.
3) Properties of government officials can only be seized after conviction.
4) If NAB investigations against a civil servant are not completed within 90 days, the officer would be eligible to apply for bail.
5) The application of the NAB laws may not be extended in respect of a private person or entity, who/which is, directly and indirectly, unconnected with a holder of public office.
6) An arrested or accused will be released on bail if an inquiry under the NAB Ordinance is not concluded within a period of three months.
7) Additionally, the previous 90-day physical custody period of an accused public office holder will be brought down to 45 Days.
After reading these proposals I ask myself 5 questions:
1) I don’t know who the PTI government is trying to fool the general public or itself?
2) Or as always we are bent upon fooling ourselves and giving them the clean chit or benefit of the doubt that their intentions are good but meet the same fate after 5 years as that of the previous governments?
3) Does this not clearly show that there are still two very different Pakistan’s not just one as promised by Primer Minister Imran Khan?
4) Shouldn’t the laws of the land be applied equally to all without any prejudice in The Riyasat of Medina and no exceptions?
5) Last but not least how these new proposals justify Imran Khan’s pledge to make Pakistan corruption-free?
Sultan Suleman is Director at SS Headway Consulting, Seoul, S.K. He is a motivational mentor and entrepreneur. Views in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily reflect GVS policy.