A ‘political’ matter

The furore following the Supreme Court’s Panama Papers judgment threatens to politicise institutions which should otherwise remain apolitical. On Monday, the army felt obliged to issue a statement, which said that the army’s participation in the JIT would be “transparent”. There have been some concerns raised about the involvement of the army in the JIT investigations, especially since opposition parties in the past have fallen prey to the temptation to use or encourage divides between the civilian setup and the military. The doubts cast by the PTI and the PPP also seem to have dragged the SC into the controversy, with Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar having had to take the unusual step of commenting on the way the verdict was being discussed without understanding the law. During the hearing of a separate case involving PTI chairman Imran Khan, the CJ specifically pointed out the undue attention being given to the dissenting note and urged political leaders to work towards removing the atmosphere of distrust that has engulfed our politics. That the chief justice felt the need to say this shows how the judiciary stands affected by the affair. We have seen how the judiciary has in the past given out statements which have been picked up by the media and exploited by the political parties for their own ends. In this case too we saw the same thing happen – with the political parties holding what were essentially political rallies on the premises of the SC and seeming more interested in winning the political battle outside than making their cases in the court. Perhaps, this could have been addressed so as to avoid the situation we are witnessing now.

Whatever the SC ruled in the Panama Papers case, the politicisation of the case was always expected. And, while the PML-N and the PTI have both interpreted the SC judgment as a ruling in their favour, the fact is that the case has not concluded yet. This is why the continued calls from Imran Khan and the broader opposition for the resignation of the prime minister come across as nothing more than political exploitation of the issue. The PTI has been beating that same drum from the day Nawaz was sworn in but the PPP, usually full of praise for itself for maintaining the constitutional order, now seems on the same path. It’s questioning of the formation of a JIT instead of a judicial commission also seems to be driven by an instinct for self-preservation. Both parties are clearly positioning themselves for next year’s elections, which is why they are still at each other’s throats even as they share the same immediate goal. The PTI appears to have expected the Supreme Court to disqualify the PM and now that this hasn’t come to pass they are reacting with anger. In doing so, they have made the judgment more controversial than it needed to be. The JIT could likely face the same problem, especially with the involvement of the military agencies. It would be in the country’s best interest if we are not made to suffer through more political instability because of the Panama Papers – something that actually had the potential to strengthen us had the political parties used it as a warning of institutional corruption rather than a way to assume power for themselves.