I was indeed flabbergasted to hear Amin Gandapur saying these words to the people while addressing a gathering at Syed Alyan in his native district “The one who pays bribe and the one who takes it are both cursed and will go to hell. Do not complain to me about bribery demands by any government official and instead hit his head with a brick and tell his son you have saved his father from being consigned to hell. Neither you commit the sin of bribing nor allow the government officials to demand it. Public should show dignity and punish those who demand bribes themselves”
Nobody would have ever heard any head of a state or a province casting off the responsibility of curbing corruption from their shoulders like that and inciting people to take the law in their own hands. The suggestion given by Gandapur is a perfect recipe for anarchy. I am afraid if someone commits the mistake of implementing the recipe suggested by the CM he might land himself in trouble as there are more than hundred percent chances of the victim retaliating in the same manner and also exposing the assaulter to legal action from committing the crime of smashing the head of someone or both of them might have to face similar fate. This free for all ambience might destroy social peace and create uncontrollable law and order situation.
If the people have to settle issues on their own through violence then there remains no justification for having a government or elected representatives to rule the people and enjoy their perks and privileges on the money paid by the people through taxes. What a shame that a Chief Minister of a province is advising people to adopt violent means to curb corruption rather than himself initiating policies and steps to eliminate the scourge. The governments are there to provide peaceful environment to the citizens and to make sure that the public functionaries serve the people without indulging in corruption or undesirable practices.
What Gadapur said can only be said by a person like him who sounds so uncouth and has a demeanour of a gangster rather than a sane and serious politician. He has an aura of ‘Maula Jutt’ about him. There are stories galore about his criminal activities. No wonder that he is allegedly also one of the main PTI leaders who are responsible for attacks on military installations and monuments of martyrs on 9th of May, a crime against the state. Such a person does not deserve to be the Chief Minister of a province but unfortunately our system of governance and electing public representative is such that people like him find it easy to reach the corridors of power.
Gandapur has not only advanced this bizarre suggestion of people taking the law in their own hands but he has also adopted a confrontational posture against the federal and Punjab government. In the backdrop of arrest warrants issued by Anti-Terrorist Court Islamabad in connection with May 9 violence he has said that the cases registered against him were false and warned the federal and Punjab government to mend their ways or it would become difficult for them to run the government.
Not only that in a statement he reminded that FIRs had been registered against PML (N) leader Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister and President Asif Ali Zardari in D.I.Khan and he might send police to their homes in case they did not change their attitude. That clearly sounds revengeful action by him as being the Chief Minister he could have false FIRs registered against his political opponents. He also dared the federal government to arrest him. By doing this he is challenging the writ of the state.
Probably he is not aware of the fact that confrontation with the federation can be harmful for him as well as the province because if he does not mend his ways and continues to tread the same path then governing the province will become difficult for him and it ultimately might go to the imposition of governor’s rule.
One would have appreciated if he had said that he had faith in the judiciary and was ready to face the law and prove himself innocent of the charges against him. That would have been the most dignified way to handle the situation. Perhaps dignity is an alien concept to a person like him.
In my considered opinion it is he who has to mend his ways and also shun the rhetoric of Prime Minister being without legitimacy and product of Form-47. The claim by him and his party that their mandate has been stolen also must be given up and they should rely on the legal and institutional framework to deal with any complaints concerning elections. By the way it is pertinent to mention that in a few NA and provincial constituencies where recounting has been done PML(N) candidates declared unsuccessful against the PTI backed candidates have been declared the real winners. The development does indicate that there might have been counting errors or some irregularities in some constituencies due to the incompetence of the polling staff but there is certainly no evidence of mass level rigging as alleged by PTI. If recounting in all the constituencies of KPK is undertaken it might surprise many people and expose the mantra of rigging by PTI.
PTI has invariably disputed electoral results whether by-poll or general polls. That is the forte of the party and its founding chairman. He raised the bogey of rigging in 2013 general elections premised on alleged 35 punctures, staged a sit-in of 126 days and also demanded judicial probe into it. But when the judicial commission in its finding repudiated the allegations about rigging Imran Khan is on record to have said that it was only a political talk. Somebody had told him about it and he agitated the issue. The fact is that the party was itself found involved in rigging the by-election in NA-75 in which Firdaus Ashiq Awan and the district administration played a significant role and consequently had to face legal action by the ECP.
The PTI seems to have adopted the same strategy to dispute the results of the elections. It is better advised to have faith in the institutional arrangement to deal with such complaints and also stop inviting foreign intervention in the internal issues. The country needs political stability to wade through unprecedented economic crisis. The party must give preference to national interests over its narrow political agenda and play its role in stabilizing the economy and propelling its path to sustained development. It is a now or never opportunity.
