Corruption In Pakistan

Corruption reigns because accountability is not credible. It is not credible because it doesn’t catch men in uniform the same way it catches civilians. Then even among the armed forces some sectors are less vulnerable to accountability than others. Some generals are allowed ‘time-out’ so that they can flee the country. Accountability in Pakistan has been problematic. Even after recovering hundreds of billions of rupees from the corrupt, NAB doesn’t get full marks. The truth is that the yardstick doesn’t apply uniformly. The armed forces seem to be exempt. Within them, the navy may say they have been targeted while the other arms have it easy. But the ‘principle’ of exemption has always been there. Writing in ‘Nawa-e-Waqt’ (9 May 2004), Major (Retd) Amir Afzal stated that General Fazle Haq was a Pushtun who had studied at Dehra Doon but took his commission at Kakul after 1947. He was clever but a completely dishonest man who exploited every occasion to his own advantage. He was from cavalry and was General Zia’s junior. Zia wanted to use him to tame the NWFP but Fazle Haq damaged the province by opposing Kalabagh Dam and spreading the Shia-Sunni conflict of Parachinar to the rest of the country. His brother General Fazle Raziq was WAPDA chief and failed to acquaint the Frontier people about the benefits of the Dam to them. Zia tried to send him as ambassador to the US but the US was too scared of his corruption. The US was more interested in General Ejaz Azim, another man from Zia’s unit

Fazle Haq had some leverage on Zia and it could be related to drugs. (Narcotics smuggler Mushtaq Malik alias ‘Black Prince’ told ‘Herald’ of July 2004 that he had got into trouble after disclosing in 1985 that the topmost generals were involved in heroin smuggling. Black Prince, who has done nine years in the US prison for narcotics after getting caught in Brazil, has recently resiled from his statement that Asif Ali Zardari was a part of his racket. He has however maintained that Fawzi Ali Kazmi was involved in narcotics smuggling with him and that Zardari was unfairly punished for keeping his company.) Fazle Raziq took over WAPDA when corruption had receded as a concern in the face of enthusiasm for Islam. Post Fazle Raziq, action against General Zahid Ali Akbar has been subject to fits and starts, implying reluctance and actually meaning time-out for escape