Another day, and another decision by the government to lodge a case against an opposition leader. This time, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government is planning a case against Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif for his guarantor role in the case of allowing his elder brother Nawaz Sharif to fly abroad for treatment. Shehbaz Sharif had submitted an affidavit in the court of law that his brother would return after treatment within weeks and would serve the remaining jail term. The government discussed the “fake affidavit” in the cabinet meeting on Tuesday and got the cabinet’s nod to file a case against Shehbaz Sharif for his disqualification from the National Assembly. Shehbaz became guarantor in the court in 2019 which the court accepted and allowed Nawaz Sharif to fly abroad. The unique case of allowing a convict, who was serving a seven-year sentence for corruption charges, made history that the Islamabad High Court suspended the sentence and allowed Nawaz Sharif to remain abroad for eight weeks for medical treatment. Since then, it has been two years that Nawaz Sharif has been living with a status of “absconder”.
The government should have taken the case of Nawaz Sharif in the court in those days when the former prime minister breached the deal. The government has been trying to get Nawaz Sharif extradited by contacting the UK authorities. The case of Nawaz Sharif does not solely revolve around the “fake affidavit”, as the government itself allowed the convict to break jail gates. Recently, the rumours about Nawaz Sharif’s possible return to Pakistan as a result of a deal with the establishment were also making the rounds. Also, there were reports that Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against the rejection of his visa extension would also be turned down. Nothing has happened on either front. Meanwhile, the government has come up with a case against Shehbaz Sharif’s affidavit. The coming days will tell whether the case has some solid grounds or not but so far, the government’s prosecution tales tell a sorry tale. The cases filed by the government agencies against “corrupt” leaders have lingered on, without any major decision so far. On the other hand, the prime minister continues with his usual refrain that no NRO will be offered to any leader. Instead, we have seen either ‘inaction’ or no action at all against those named in scandals pertaining to wheat, sugar, etc. The government must do better homework before filing the affidavit case against Shehbaz Sharif.
