Axe Falls On Nawaz Sharif

At long last judgment in Al Azizia and Flagship references has been announced yesterday by the accountability court which found the former disgracefully removed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif guilty of mass-scale corruption and massive wrongdoings – in a nutshell accumulating assets beyond his declared means of income – and thus delivered him a full time 7 years of rigorous imprisonment along with financial penalty of 1.5 billion rupees. The court ruled that NAB has successfully proved his ownership of the overseas properties which the accused claimed to be in possession of his sons. Ironically his two sons were underage at the time of purchase and were solely dependent on their father therefore the claim holds no ground.

The court has acquitted him in the flagship reference which the NAB has decided to challenge in high court for this is the reference which according to NAB authorities is the bedrock on which the whole edifice of corruption stands and contrary to official claims, the former PM was receiving regular salaries from a company whose documented evidence were presented through flagship reference. Whether the high court convicts Nawaz in the 2^nd reference or not depends on the future litigation but at the moment PMLN circles can rejoice over the acquittal, at least, for the time being.

In the long drawn battle of court hearings and lengthy legal proceedings, PMLN headed by Nawaz Sharif put up an army of country’s top most expensive lawyers to defend its case but even the brightest of lawyers could not save the day for Nawaz absent proof. Legal arguments if not backed up by documented evidence always prove to be a bubble which would burst at the slightest prodding.

Generally a person is innocent until proven guilty but in the matters of financial integrity if a person owns assets s/he, in no way, can justify their existence within his/her known sources of income is liable to legal scrutiny, according to the law of accountability. Nawaz had plenty of looted money to hire cream of lawyers but what he lacked was the justification to prove himself innocent. Lies and lies can drag the cases for quite sometime but ultimately cannot help avoid someone the wrath of law indefinitely if the prosecutor is determined and equipped with the best tools of investigation necessary to convict the hardcore criminals through due process.

In white collar crimes an accused has to prove him/herself innocent.

The more the family members came up with random declarations of piety the more they entangled themselves deep down in the morass they never were to come out unscathed.

When the Panama papers scandal broke in the international newspapers, Nawaz and his family tried to preempt its potential implications through planted media interviews accepting the ownership of swanky overseas flats in London’s most expensive avenfield apartments. But contradictory positions taken by different family members and Nawaz’s public speech on the floor on the national assembly were poles apart which proved more harmful than being helpful. Hussain Nawaz, the eldest son of Nawaz Sharif, in rather pompous manner disclosed that her sister Maryam Nawaz was the beneficial owner of the overseas flats, negating his sister’s public claim “I own no properties home what to talk of abroad”. 

The more the family members came up with random declarations of piety the more they entangled themselves deep down in the morass they never were to come out unscathed.

Nawaz and his ambitious daughter strove hard to battle a purely criminal case on the political front employing paid trolls to hurl abuse on the applicants instead of submitting to the courts, to their own peril. Energies focused on admonishing political opponents and crying hoarse over the alleged secret alignment of courts and establishment to overthrow the incumbent, could well be utilized elsewhere to chalk out a tangible and coherent response based on truth and reconciliation. Had they accepted financial irregularities initially and left themselves at the mercy of national assembly, what the opposition at that time proposed, this utter humiliation could somehow be averted by reaching some compromise equally acceptable to both parties ie: govt. and the opposition politically. But they failed to appreciate far reaching ramifications of the scandal. Instead they underestimated resolve of their main adversary Imran Khan who they though was just like other politicians they could outmaneuver with time tested tactics of subversion and bend the process to their will.

Arrogance overcame the reason and the result has been obvious since the outset, a disgraceful dismissal.

On the other hand Imran Khan devised a better strategy to fight the legal battle inside courts and political, on roads and media through relentless public rallies across the country, exposing wicked lies of the ruling family and thus successfully dislodging a third time premier.

Regardless of how Nawaz camp plays off the court sentence before their party followers and voters, but isn’t it a shame to the collective wisdom of those who brought such a shameless clown to power not just once but thrice? A ruler is meant to guard the taxpayers’ money and utilize it for the betterment of the underprivileged masses and is expected to be above self-preservation. Those who rob an already impoverished nation of its resources to enrich their own coffers should be crucified and not be hailed as victims of a hostile deep state