A Joint Investigative team appointed by Pakistan’s Supreme Court probed the Panama Papers and indicted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his children for financial skulduggery. The Judiciary takes its cue from the Army. A weakened Sharif will strengthen the hands of the army. A crackdown on political corruption is fine but other sectors of society should not be left out of the drive. Former cricketer turned politician Imran Khan has joined hands with the Army in attacking Sharif. In the process, Pakistan’s democracy is undermined. The country’s bipolar politics revolves around the PML(N) and the PPP. Two Army officers with links to the ISI capital were on the Joint Committee. Sharif’s supporters therefore have reason to question the findings of the probe. The Pakistani Army controls foreign policy even after the removal of President Musharraf, a former General. The civilian government in Islamabad has to acquiesce in the system.
Sharif used his prerogative in appointing Qamar Javed Bajwa, the Army chief. The ‘Dawn Leaks’ however exposed his weakness in relation to India and terror. The Army stood in the way of Sharif’s efforts to build a bridge with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A spate of Pakistani attacks on the Indian military followed. Elections in Pakistan are slated for 2018. Sharif looked like being on a safe wicket. His indictment is a blow to a healthy economic outlook and an improvement in India-Pakistani ties as Rawalpindi calls the shots.
