Rabiya_Khan
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7 LESSONS OF LIFE: I LEARNT, COURTESY PANAMA CASE
“I Am Ready To Account For Any Day In My Life But Don't Ask Me How I Made My First Million.”
Henry Ford
PANAMA PAPERS SCANDAL CASE or as the SC Cause List would have more aptly put it, the Constitutional Petition No. 29/2016, has reached its conclusive end in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the 23rd day of February 2017, almost 4 months after its initiation. Back in the freezing cold of November 2016, Imran Khan and about half a dozen other litigants had, by invoking the Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court Under Article 184-3 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, called into question Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility to hold the highest public office of the country. This question arose out of the Panama Papers Scandal, an internationally conducted exposé, which dug into and excavated offshore companies situated in Tax Heavens and held by the cartel of the rich & the mighty. These papers alongside making other startling revelations, brought to public view 4 Mayfair Apartments situated in posh center of London and clandestinely so held by Pakistan’s ruling Sharif Family via Panama Based Off-Shore Companies namely Nelson & Nescol Ltd.
The exposé gave both, credence to the long held public speculation that the Sharfis have over time accumulated massive ill-gotten wealth disproportionate to their means and confidence to the opposition to approach the apex adjudicatory forum of the Federation. Plaintiffs while alleging Nawaz Sahrif, of statutory misconduct by virtue of the fact that he concealed his off-shore assets both from the Election Commission of Pakistan & the Tax Authorities, prayed that he be thereby disqualified and barred from holding the office of the Prime Minister. Supreme Court over a span of 4 tiring months, patiently heard the extensive arguments advanced by both the petitioner & the respondent side, regarding the Proprietorship of the Companies and their Ultimate Beneficial Ownership. In addition to this the Supreme Court also minutely introspected a Complex Web of Camel Mounted Fiscal Transactions, Shady/Verbal Inheritance Wills which in negation of both the prevalent Common Law & the Sharia Principles sought to connect a deceased Grandpa to a Grandson while excluding an entire generation and a plethora of Astonishingly Expensive Gifts which made the entire World go Wow. After having perused the available record and gone through the adversarial submissions, the 5 member Larger Bench “Reserved” its “Judgment” on the matter, which stands "Reserved" till date.
Needless it is to discuss or debate at this time, when a Judgment stands Reserved, what transpired inside the court-room during these 4 testing months and what will be its prospective fallout. However as a Tax Paying citizen of the state, on whose duly paid Taxes these proceedings actually “proceeded”, I do feel compelled and intrigued to deduce what I personally gained from this rather colorful exercise. I therefore have decided to compile my comprehensions in-to-to and review the lessons I learned in due course. This compilation, if serves no other purpose, at least brings peace my conscience by reassuring me that my Tax was wisely spent. Herein under are thus the 7 Lessons Of Life I Learnt Courtesy Panama Case:
· I learned that Chapter III of the Part III of my beloved Constitution, is a numb chunk on the body of our Supreme Statute, which must be amputated in the larger interest of the state. This chapter defines a Pillar called the “Executive” and determines the “Functions” associated with it. However the proceedings in the Supreme Court have made in aptly clear to all concerned, that this very “Specie” called the Executive is now non-existent and extinct in the land of the pure. What remain here are the “Regulated” and their “Regulators.” Both the Federal Board of Revenue & the National Accountability Bureau, institutions legally vested with the authority to investigate “White Collar Crime”, audaciously told the Apex Court that they shall not proceed in the matter without the due “Directions” from their “Regulator.” Supreme Court loudly wondered who “Regulates” these “Law Enforcement Agencies” and correctly observed that it has witnessed that day a sad demise of the “Executive” in the court’s dock.
· I learned that if you are a WAPDA line-man accused of a handful of bribe, the mighty NAB has both the will and the resources to chase you down right till your grave but if you belong to one of Pakistan’s Royalties who periodically administer the affairs of our state, NAB is deemed to develop cold feet. In the September of 2016 the Supreme Court of Pakistan while hearing Civil Appeal No. 82-K/2015, severely reprimanded NAB for having appealed against the acquittal of one Mr. Hanif Hyder a line-man from Sindh accused of accepting a petty bribe of few Lakh Rupees. Supreme Court rightly questioned the rationale of the appeal in view of the alleged amount and the fact the Hyder had twice earned honorable acquittals from the Trial and the High Court. In stark negation of this zealotry, the NAB Chairman during the Panama Case vehemently defended his 2015 decision of “Not Appealing” a “Split-Verdict” of the Lahore High Court in the Hydabiya Reference, wherein the incumbent Prime Minster was accused of embezzling billions through Money Laundering and the incumbent Finance Minister had turned an “Approver” against him. Despite the Courts’ insistence, the Chairman expressed his firm resolve of not proceeding any further in the matter. The brazen display of audacity proves that the deceased collective conscience, of the power corridors, is indifferent to both the letter and the spirit of Article 25 which assures the Equality of Citizens Before The Law.
· I learned that this is a misogynist world hell bent against “Empowerment Of Women.” If you happen to be the female heir apparent of a flourishing dynasty, chauvinists from across the globe like the “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists” (I.C.I.J), German Publication Süddeutsche Zeitung, Britain’s Financial Investigation Agency (F.I.A), MONSSACK FONSECA Co, Minerva Financial Services Limited and many many others gang up together against you. Anti-Feminism forces pit their might against you so hard that they forge your Signatures on about half a dozen documents. These forces must surely be in cahoots with the Pakistani establishment because they also have annexed copies of the heir apparent’s Passport with the fictitious documents.
· I have learned the power of “Twitter” rules high. If you are the Prime Minister’s daughter and have a smart phone with a birdie app, you can pronounce judgments on behalf of the Supreme Court, while its Larger Bench is still trying to figure out the head and tail of your nonsense. We all saw our First Daughter say “Trail Established, Case Demolished” right at the time when the Supreme Court was literally bashing the counsels for the Sharif Family and asking them to at least present a single shred of evidence to supplement their prima-facie ludicrous defence. The sought evidence did not appear on the surface right till the end and who needed it when the Princess had ratified the Decree of Innocence.
· I have learned that lie, falsehood and perjury are neither crimes nor misdemeanors to be ashamed of. The First Daughter of the nation can in a rather dramatic fashion, with a heavy-heart tone say on Live-Television, “What to talk of London Ji, I have no properties in Pakistan either, I tu Live with my Father” and when asked by the apex court to explain her Dependence On Her Father in view of the Representation of The Peoples Act 1976, can take a quick U-Turn and claim Independence since 1992 and further present documents of properties held in her name. This probably was the most swiftly earned Independence in the political history of the world. Well, Like Father Like Daughter, PM Himself invoked immunity under Article 66 of the Constitution when asked about the contradictions in his speech and concise statement. He said his speech in the parliament was of “Political Nature” and thus does not attract any vires of law.
· I have learned that a Friend in Need is a Friend in Deed. No matter when, where, how and what sort of help you seek from him, a friend he must advance his helping hand. Even if the help is brittle enough to earn contempt and ridicule both in public and in a court, it will at the least ferment your bond and he might get offered a Houbara Bustard Hunting License in return, off course if you are the Prime Minister of a client state.
· I have learned that a bandwagon full of foul-mouthed clowns is always an asset and must therefore be kept in high esteem. Their ability to direct vile rants at your adversaries, the country’s judiciary and the press, all at the same time is, if not useful, amusing to say the least. Its always entertaining to see someone scuffling for you and while you lick your Wounds after a hard day in the court.
The PANAMA CASE has finally concluded so has the Comedy of Errors that was at fine display in the preceding months. Political observers, intelligentsia and the general populous, contently fed on the grasping entertainment the Sharifs provided us with and watched with profound interest each & every episode of soap-opera which telecasted live from the galleries of the Supreme Court. However as Justice Ejaz Afzal remarked on the concluding day, with each passing episode, we as a nation “Sunk” deeper and deeper into a Swampy Bog. A bog of deceit, lies and sheer falsity. Now that case has concluded, we the Pakistanis and our dearly beloved country stand sunk down to the nose in this stinking Bog, abandoned in these marshlands with our eyes on the Horizon hoping for a miraculous Rescue. We have placed all our bets on either the Almighty or the Supreme Court. We yet know not, what awaits us, a rescue indeed or a painful death but whatever it is, is deemed to change his future forever. In the meanwhile:
“Let Us Hope & Pray, What We Learned From The Panama”
“I Am Ready To Account For Any Day In My Life But Don't Ask Me How I Made My First Million.”
Henry Ford
PANAMA PAPERS SCANDAL CASE or as the SC Cause List would have more aptly put it, the Constitutional Petition No. 29/2016, has reached its conclusive end in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on the 23rd day of February 2017, almost 4 months after its initiation. Back in the freezing cold of November 2016, Imran Khan and about half a dozen other litigants had, by invoking the Original Jurisdiction of the Supreme Court Under Article 184-3 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1973, called into question Nawaz Sharif’s eligibility to hold the highest public office of the country. This question arose out of the Panama Papers Scandal, an internationally conducted exposé, which dug into and excavated offshore companies situated in Tax Heavens and held by the cartel of the rich & the mighty. These papers alongside making other startling revelations, brought to public view 4 Mayfair Apartments situated in posh center of London and clandestinely so held by Pakistan’s ruling Sharif Family via Panama Based Off-Shore Companies namely Nelson & Nescol Ltd.
The exposé gave both, credence to the long held public speculation that the Sharfis have over time accumulated massive ill-gotten wealth disproportionate to their means and confidence to the opposition to approach the apex adjudicatory forum of the Federation. Plaintiffs while alleging Nawaz Sahrif, of statutory misconduct by virtue of the fact that he concealed his off-shore assets both from the Election Commission of Pakistan & the Tax Authorities, prayed that he be thereby disqualified and barred from holding the office of the Prime Minister. Supreme Court over a span of 4 tiring months, patiently heard the extensive arguments advanced by both the petitioner & the respondent side, regarding the Proprietorship of the Companies and their Ultimate Beneficial Ownership. In addition to this the Supreme Court also minutely introspected a Complex Web of Camel Mounted Fiscal Transactions, Shady/Verbal Inheritance Wills which in negation of both the prevalent Common Law & the Sharia Principles sought to connect a deceased Grandpa to a Grandson while excluding an entire generation and a plethora of Astonishingly Expensive Gifts which made the entire World go Wow. After having perused the available record and gone through the adversarial submissions, the 5 member Larger Bench “Reserved” its “Judgment” on the matter, which stands "Reserved" till date.
Needless it is to discuss or debate at this time, when a Judgment stands Reserved, what transpired inside the court-room during these 4 testing months and what will be its prospective fallout. However as a Tax Paying citizen of the state, on whose duly paid Taxes these proceedings actually “proceeded”, I do feel compelled and intrigued to deduce what I personally gained from this rather colorful exercise. I therefore have decided to compile my comprehensions in-to-to and review the lessons I learned in due course. This compilation, if serves no other purpose, at least brings peace my conscience by reassuring me that my Tax was wisely spent. Herein under are thus the 7 Lessons Of Life I Learnt Courtesy Panama Case:
· I learned that Chapter III of the Part III of my beloved Constitution, is a numb chunk on the body of our Supreme Statute, which must be amputated in the larger interest of the state. This chapter defines a Pillar called the “Executive” and determines the “Functions” associated with it. However the proceedings in the Supreme Court have made in aptly clear to all concerned, that this very “Specie” called the Executive is now non-existent and extinct in the land of the pure. What remain here are the “Regulated” and their “Regulators.” Both the Federal Board of Revenue & the National Accountability Bureau, institutions legally vested with the authority to investigate “White Collar Crime”, audaciously told the Apex Court that they shall not proceed in the matter without the due “Directions” from their “Regulator.” Supreme Court loudly wondered who “Regulates” these “Law Enforcement Agencies” and correctly observed that it has witnessed that day a sad demise of the “Executive” in the court’s dock.
· I learned that if you are a WAPDA line-man accused of a handful of bribe, the mighty NAB has both the will and the resources to chase you down right till your grave but if you belong to one of Pakistan’s Royalties who periodically administer the affairs of our state, NAB is deemed to develop cold feet. In the September of 2016 the Supreme Court of Pakistan while hearing Civil Appeal No. 82-K/2015, severely reprimanded NAB for having appealed against the acquittal of one Mr. Hanif Hyder a line-man from Sindh accused of accepting a petty bribe of few Lakh Rupees. Supreme Court rightly questioned the rationale of the appeal in view of the alleged amount and the fact the Hyder had twice earned honorable acquittals from the Trial and the High Court. In stark negation of this zealotry, the NAB Chairman during the Panama Case vehemently defended his 2015 decision of “Not Appealing” a “Split-Verdict” of the Lahore High Court in the Hydabiya Reference, wherein the incumbent Prime Minster was accused of embezzling billions through Money Laundering and the incumbent Finance Minister had turned an “Approver” against him. Despite the Courts’ insistence, the Chairman expressed his firm resolve of not proceeding any further in the matter. The brazen display of audacity proves that the deceased collective conscience, of the power corridors, is indifferent to both the letter and the spirit of Article 25 which assures the Equality of Citizens Before The Law.
· I learned that this is a misogynist world hell bent against “Empowerment Of Women.” If you happen to be the female heir apparent of a flourishing dynasty, chauvinists from across the globe like the “International Consortium of Investigative Journalists” (I.C.I.J), German Publication Süddeutsche Zeitung, Britain’s Financial Investigation Agency (F.I.A), MONSSACK FONSECA Co, Minerva Financial Services Limited and many many others gang up together against you. Anti-Feminism forces pit their might against you so hard that they forge your Signatures on about half a dozen documents. These forces must surely be in cahoots with the Pakistani establishment because they also have annexed copies of the heir apparent’s Passport with the fictitious documents.
· I have learned the power of “Twitter” rules high. If you are the Prime Minister’s daughter and have a smart phone with a birdie app, you can pronounce judgments on behalf of the Supreme Court, while its Larger Bench is still trying to figure out the head and tail of your nonsense. We all saw our First Daughter say “Trail Established, Case Demolished” right at the time when the Supreme Court was literally bashing the counsels for the Sharif Family and asking them to at least present a single shred of evidence to supplement their prima-facie ludicrous defence. The sought evidence did not appear on the surface right till the end and who needed it when the Princess had ratified the Decree of Innocence.
· I have learned that lie, falsehood and perjury are neither crimes nor misdemeanors to be ashamed of. The First Daughter of the nation can in a rather dramatic fashion, with a heavy-heart tone say on Live-Television, “What to talk of London Ji, I have no properties in Pakistan either, I tu Live with my Father” and when asked by the apex court to explain her Dependence On Her Father in view of the Representation of The Peoples Act 1976, can take a quick U-Turn and claim Independence since 1992 and further present documents of properties held in her name. This probably was the most swiftly earned Independence in the political history of the world. Well, Like Father Like Daughter, PM Himself invoked immunity under Article 66 of the Constitution when asked about the contradictions in his speech and concise statement. He said his speech in the parliament was of “Political Nature” and thus does not attract any vires of law.
· I have learned that a Friend in Need is a Friend in Deed. No matter when, where, how and what sort of help you seek from him, a friend he must advance his helping hand. Even if the help is brittle enough to earn contempt and ridicule both in public and in a court, it will at the least ferment your bond and he might get offered a Houbara Bustard Hunting License in return, off course if you are the Prime Minister of a client state.
· I have learned that a bandwagon full of foul-mouthed clowns is always an asset and must therefore be kept in high esteem. Their ability to direct vile rants at your adversaries, the country’s judiciary and the press, all at the same time is, if not useful, amusing to say the least. Its always entertaining to see someone scuffling for you and while you lick your Wounds after a hard day in the court.
The PANAMA CASE has finally concluded so has the Comedy of Errors that was at fine display in the preceding months. Political observers, intelligentsia and the general populous, contently fed on the grasping entertainment the Sharifs provided us with and watched with profound interest each & every episode of soap-opera which telecasted live from the galleries of the Supreme Court. However as Justice Ejaz Afzal remarked on the concluding day, with each passing episode, we as a nation “Sunk” deeper and deeper into a Swampy Bog. A bog of deceit, lies and sheer falsity. Now that case has concluded, we the Pakistanis and our dearly beloved country stand sunk down to the nose in this stinking Bog, abandoned in these marshlands with our eyes on the Horizon hoping for a miraculous Rescue. We have placed all our bets on either the Almighty or the Supreme Court. We yet know not, what awaits us, a rescue indeed or a painful death but whatever it is, is deemed to change his future forever. In the meanwhile:
“Let Us Hope & Pray, What We Learned From The Panama”
