FOR the patriotic citizens of Pakistan, there is serious cause for

concern.

Imran Khan always talked about building institutions. Recall his speeches
when he repeatedly emphasised that institutions, and not individuals, must
hold sway over the system. This was the only way, he argued, that a system
could mature into a stable and progressive democracy. He would then quote
examples of how the Sharifs and Zardaris and their henchmen had weakened
the system by bending institutions to their will. He would go on to mention the
FIA, police and other law-enforcement agencies that were used by these
politicians to hound their opponents and do their bidding.

Imran was correct when he stated that whenever individuals forced

institutions to do their bidding, they not only persecuted the opposition
through these agencies, they also ensured that these law-enforcement and
investigative agencies did not investigate the people in power.

Imran had a powerful point. Tragic that it’s lost on him now.

Three powerful and critically important institutions are today battling to save
their credibility: National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Federal Investigation
Agency (FIA) and Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF). At stake is not just the trust of
these three but of the system itself. Here’s why:

For two decades you rail and rant against the system
only to become the system yourself.
Miftah Ismail was imprisoned for six months. Court has given
him bail because the prosecution had no logical arguments to keep him in jail.
He lost six months of his freedom. Why?

Rana Sanaullah was imprisoned for six months. Court has given
him bail because the prosecution could not produce any evidence that
necessitated keeping him in jail. He lost six months of his freedom. Why?

Shahid Khaqan Abbasi is in jail since the last six months. He has not applied
for bail but the prosecution has produced no evidence against him for the
charges that he is in jail for. He continues to be deprived of his freedom for no
logical reason.

What is common between these three cases that should concern each and
every patriotic Pakistani?
First, the lack of concrete evidence points to an alarming fact: citizens are
detained for months on end and there is no relief for them in this present
system even if the investigating agencies have nothing on them that can stand
up in court.

Second, the fact that these agencies arrested these men without worrying
about producing the evidence that would justify these arrests means the
system provides them the discretion to deprive citizens of their liberty without
them worrying about being held accountable for their actions.

Third, they retain enough discretion in their decision-making powers to pick

and choose which person to arrest and which not to touch which reinforces the
fact that the system allows them to be very political in their choices.

Fourth, they face no adverse consequences if they cannot prove their

allegations despite depriving a citizen of his liberty, which means the system
provides them impunity at the expense of the basic rights of citizens.

Fifth, in the inevitable conflict between the state and the citizens, the law
favours the state.

Alarmed enough? Wait, there’s more.

Previous governments knew they were misusing executive agencies but did it
anyway because this was an acceptable part of politics and governance in
Pakistan.

On paper police was meant to serve and protect citizens; in reality it was a
force at the disposal of the government of the day to be used as per the wishes
of the government of the day against anyone so desired by the government of
the day. On paper, NAB and FIA and ANF were supposed to combat crime and
corruption in the best interest of the citizens; in reality they could be used by
the government of the day to hound and persecute any opponent that needed
to be hounded and persecuted in the best interest of the government of the
day.

We all pretended that we lived under a Constitution that guided the

government that in turn guided the executive agencies to serve we the people.
It was a game and we all played it. Till one man came and called everyone out.
This man said: ‘let us not pretend anymore that there is no gap between what
we pretend and what really happens. Let us put a stop to this charade. Let us
stop these political parties from using NAB, FIA, ANF and police against their
opponents. Let us reform these agencies and start a new beginning’. The man
described this new beginning as Naya Pakistan.

And then he went ahead and broke the nation’s heart.

He didn’t mean to. It just happened. Perhaps out of the goodness of his heart
or perhaps out of well-intentioned naiveté — it matters not — he did it with a
vengeance. And he did so not by doing anything exceptionally out of the
ordinary or evil or villainous. No none of this. All he did was that he became
like them.

And so NAB is going after Imran’s opponents; ANF is going after Imran’s
opponents and FIA is going after Imran’s opponents. For two decades you rail
and rant against the system only to become the system yourself.

That, sir, is how you break 218,654,735 hearts.

Alarmed enough? Wait, there’s more.

Many people in the PTI government feel there’s nothing wrong with the NAB,
FIA, ANF, police hounding their opponents regardless of the weakness of the
evidence. Evidence? What evidence? They ask. These people are corrupt and
looters and Imran said he will put them in jail so we are putting them in jail.
What’s wrong with this? Yes, they genuinely ask this.

What is worse than committing a wrong is committing a wrong and not

believing you are committing a wrong. How can you reform yourself if you
think there’s nothing to reform?

Dear patriotic citizens of Pakistan, hear this: we are shaking the fundamentals
of this system by our ignorance, our naiveté and our missionary zeal to cleanse
everything except ourselves. This system is regressing. It is sawing off the trust
in institutions that act as the pillars holding up the system. If the state is
bleeding trust, it is bleeding the reason to exist