Syed Haider Raza Mehdi |
Panamagate and the apartments are symbols of the rot!They define and manifest the cancer of total corruption, criminality, loot and plunder by Nawaz and Zaradari and the system they represent.
Nawaz, and Zardari before him, symbolize the complete meltdown of governance, state machinery, meritocracy, public sector institutions delivering public service.
They define and symbolize what a system looks like when stuffed with toadies and cronies who lack both competence and integrity. But most painfully and sadly, Nawaz Sharif and his family symbolize most sadly the rot of individual, family collective and societal values in Pakistan.
Here is a person who cheats and lies and a very large segment finds it acceptable. Here’s a father who makes his children his accomplices in crime and teaches them. Yes teaches them not about truth, honor, integrity, hard work but how to cheat, lie, money launder, forge documents. And in full public view and shamelessly. And people still flock to him. His daughter, Princess Tubelight twittering away religious quotes about he’s been “cleansed”.
He lies on the floor of the National Assembly, in a public address to the Nation. In countless Cabinet meetings and in Public gatherings.
And here is a PM. Somebody in whom the poor and wretched put their hopes. Here is this amazing person who will publicly lie several times with the confidence of the best con men I’ve seen.
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He lies on the floor of the National Assembly, in a public address to the Nation. In countless Cabinet meetings and in Public gatherings. And everyone knows he’s lying. But there’s silence from the people he addresses. And yet he has the audacity to say. “Mayra Jurram kia Hay?” And this nation takes it lying down.
And Look at this tragedy.Out of 189 PMLN MNA’S. 38 Federal Cabinet Ministers, 26 Senators, 312 Punjab MPAS, 28 Punjab Ministers, not one had the spine or embarrassed conscience or self-respect or even a moment of fleeting remorse like madness to resign.
Not one public servant or bureaucrat or police officer at the Federal or the Provincial levels resigned.Not one academic in a State run university publicly resigned in protest against this man’s criminality.
Not one saw the overwhelming evidence of corruption, money laundering, illegal transfer of wealth, lying, cheating, misrepresenting information by Nawaz over the last one year. Not one could see how this family has been stripped naked of any form of self-respect and dignity.
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Not one public servant or bureaucrat or police officer at the Federal or the Provincial levels resigned.Not one academic in a State run university publicly resigned in protest against this man’s criminality.Not one crowd of a few thousand people spontaneously came out on the streets demanding he leaves office.
We forget that he and his family are criminals.But we get bogged down in discussions about “just a few flats” and “Imran unable to provide x or y”.
Not one person from the business community, the Manshas the Saigols etc had the guts to publicly say. Mr. Prime Minister, I think it’s time to go.Not one lawyer association unanimously backed a call for him to resign. Where is that foul mouthed Asma Jilani today?
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Convenient distractions
We forget the big picture.We forget the loot and plunder. We forget the total destruction of civilized values. We forget that he and his family are criminals.But we get bogged down in discussions about “just a few flats” and “Imran unable to provide x or y”.
Nawaz, Ishaq, Tubelight, Hassan and Hussain (what a dark stain on the names they carry) have been caught red handed with their hands in the till.
If people still believe in their innocence, citing painful contorted and torturous arguments and technicalities, then help us, God! When. When. When will this Nation get a Spine?Could we only just get few dozen with some Spine? Some in the Supreme Court. Certainly two for sure. The jury on the other three being still out. And just 6 brave JIT souls and the few others who worked with them tirelessly and fearlessly.A nation of 200 Million and 8 Spines?
Or maybe, perhaps the fault lies in our stars, dear Brutus!
Haider Mehdi is the current Convenor of The Strategy Study Group, founded by the late Col. S. G. Mehdi M. C, former Group Commander of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG). Haider is a former Pakistan Army officer, corporate leader, management consultant, business trainer, and serial entrepreneur.