No One Above The Law

Ishtiaq Ahmed
There is always some level of sleaziness, political corruption, misuse of privileges, bending of rules and personal aggrandisement in government circles across countries and nations. It shouldn’t be but it is the case.
The difference between the established and the developing societies is the threshold of tolerance and acceptability.
Let me explain myself with the help of three very current examples:
Over the past week Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of UK, was issued penalty of £500 for not wearing the car seatbelt.
Lancashire Police issued the notice after the prime minister appeared without a belt in a clip on Instagram as he promoted his levelling-up funding.
A Number 10 spokesperson said: “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will of course comply with the fixed penalty.”
Rishi Sunak’s penalty point’s to the age old maxim of ‘no one is above the law’.
Can anyone seriously imagine this happening to our Prime Minister in Pakistan?
Generally when our political leaders travel by road every traffic rule is disregarded without a whisper from the law enforcement agencies.
Nadhim Zahawi, the current chairman of the conservative party and the former chancellor of exchequer, is being investigated for paying tax penalty of 5 million to HMRC. Penalties are applied where someone does not pay the correct tax at the right time.
Mr. Zahawi is alleged to have broken the ministerial code.
The calls are rife from the opposition for Mr. Zahawi‘s removal from the top table.
Mr. Zahwai has said this was a callous mistake on his part and not a deliberate attempt to evade paying the tax.
The case highlights the importance of transparency and accountability within the government. Mr. Zahawi may have thought that by entering into arrangements with HMRC, he would be able to avoid scrutiny but this was not to be the case. He may have not acted outside the law but most certainly he did broke the ministerial code. The case clearly highlights the standards expected of ministers
In Pakistan, prime ministers and ministers are consistently shown to be by- passing financial protocols, transparency and accountability. Billions have been taken out of the country, invested abroad or held in foreign accounts. Billions are unpaid in taxes but no one can do anything about these gross abuses of power and privileges. Cases of fraud, absconding with public monies come and go without culprits breaking sweat.
The third case that is currently making headlines in British media is that of Richard Sharp. Mr Sharp is the present Chair of BBC who was appointed by Boris Johnson when in the office of the Prime Minister.
Mr. Sharp is alleged to have helped Boris Johnson to secure a loan of £800,000 .
Mr. Sharp has asked for a full review of allegations against him. Boris Johnson has said that Richard Sharp had no knowledge of his personal finances.
This is an example of a major media figure, in fact, the chairman of the worldwide acknowledged BBC network, putting his integrity on line.
All this points to a number of things. No one is or should be above the law; the importance of independent media; and the importance of strong governance threshold for transparency and accountability.
Something for Pakistan rulers to think about!

The author is a British citizen of Pakistani origin with a keen interest in Pakistani and international affairs.