News Stories That Defined Pakistan's 2019

The Year 2019 passing through its twilight period with a new year is ahead. It is the time look back how the PTI government led by Imran Khan governed the country in its first full year.

This year remained a tumultous year with regard to the political developments in the country.

The year witnessed several high profile arrests of the opposition politicians in accountability cases, protests by the parliamentary opposition, poor political relationship between the treasury and opposition that made the parliament effectively dysfunctional forcing the government to legislate with presidential ordinances.

The two sides even failed to iron out their differences over appointment of the new Chief Election Commissioner and two members of the commission from Sindh and Balochistan and to seek the court to settle the matter.

Prime Minister Khan also found out it difficult to mend ways with the parliamentary opposition for requisite legislation in the course of his first year in power. He faced the brunt of an opposition that simply did not allow his government any breathing space.

Two major opposition parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party joined hands with small parties to create a joint opposition with Rehbar Committee as its top body headed by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s Akram Khan Durrani.

The highlight of the opposition’s protest politics was a Long March led by Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of his faction of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, who had lost his contested seats in the 2018 general elections.

He led a sit-in in Islamabad and vowed not to leave without seeking the prime minister’sresignation. But he announced a sudden exit only 16 days later with a largely empty rhetoric of having achieved objectives of his protest.

The government also faced a difficult decision to let convicted and jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif leave for the UK on medical grounds after a court released him conditionally.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, convicted in an accountability reference, after his name removed from the the Exit Control List (ECL), departed for London for his medical treatment on November 19 accompanied by his younger brother, Shehbaz Sharif and personal physician Dr Adnan. Shehbaz Sharif as Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman tendered his resignation from the office before his leaving for London accompanied by Nawaz Sharif.

Speaker accepted his resignation effective from Nov 20th. Rana Tanvir of PML-N replaced his as the next chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.

Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government faced two major challenges in the shape of court verdicts in two big cases in last two months of the year. The bonafides of the government’s extension in service granted to the army chief challenged in the Supreme Court by a petition, the apex court however granted a six-month extension to Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his service tenure with an order to the government for the legislation on the matter from the Parliament.

“The court will review the legislation on the matter after six months”, the SC’s judgment in the case reads.

The apex court sought an undertaking from the government that it would legislate on the matter within six months, which was submitted by the government side.

However the death sentence awarded by a special court to General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in a case of high treason also have its repercussions as the army publicly questioned the court verdict.

The year 2019 witnessed high profile arrests of the politicians mostly from the opposition on charges of corruption.

Those arrested by the the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) included former president Asif Ali Zardari, who was detained in July by the anti-corruption watchdog in connection to fake accounts and money laundering case.

He is accused of setting up fake bank accounts and siphoning billions of rupees out of the country. However in December, Zardari was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on medical grounds.

Another high profile arrest made by the NAB on August 08 was Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N) Vice-President in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case. NAB suspects her

involvement in money laundering. Maryam had approached the high court on September 30, seeking post-arrest bail in the sugar mills case. She was granted bail by Lahore High Court (LHC) on November 04.

The PML-N leader is is also fighting a legal battle to get her name off the ECL to take care of her ailing father, who is in London for medical treatment after getting bail in another case.

Rana Sanaullah, a senior leader of PML-N was arrested on July 1st by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), claiming recovery of a large consignment of drugs from him.

Minister for Narcotics Control Shehryar Khan Afridi repeatedly claimed to have substantial evidence against the PML-N leader. However, the LHC on December 24 granted bail to Sanaullah in the narcotics possession case.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was arrested by the NAB on July 18. He has been accused of illegally awarding a contract for an LNG terminal while he was serving as the petroleum minister in Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet.

Abbasi’s remand was extended on December 16 and he is to remain in NAB’s custody until the next hearing in his case.

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail who was arrested on August 07 by the anti-graft body was granted by the Islamabad High Court on December 23.

He was arrested in connection with an inquiry regarding the illegal awarding of LNG Terminal-1 to Engro Energy Terminal Private Limited.

Faryal Talpur, a Member of National Assembly of PPP and sister of Asif Ali Zardari, was arrested on June 14 by NAB.

Talpur was accused of laundering money through fake bank accounts. NAB is investigating four cases where the former president and his sister are the prime accused.

The cases pertain to transactions worth hundreds of millions of rupees to both the leaders’ private companies, allegedly, through fake bank accounts.

The IHC on December 17 granted bail to Talpur in the fake bank accounts cases against surety bonds worth Rs10 million.

Hamza Shahbaz, a scion of Sharif family, and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, was arrested on June 11 by NAB in the Ramzan Sugar Mills money laundering case and for allegedly owning assets beyond known sources of income.

The hearing of his case has been adjourned till January 3, 2020.

Former leader of opposition in National Assembly Syed Khursheed Shah was arrested by NAB on September 18. He is also accused of acquiring assets worth some Rs700 million in the names of his frontmen through ill-gotten money.

An accountability court on December 17 granted bail to the PPP leader against surety bonds worth Rs5 million. The NAB approached the SHC and sought the court to nullify Shah’s bail.

On December 23, the SHC suspended Shah’s bail in the assets beyond known sources of income case.

Earlier, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf stalwart Aleem Khan was arrested on February 06 by NAB. After his arrest, he resigned from the office of Punjab local government minister.

Cases pertaining to owning assets beyond his known sources of income and offshore companies led to his arrest. However, the Lahore High Court on May 15, granted him bail against surety bonds of Rs10 million.

Incumbent Sindh Assembly Speaker and PPP leader Agha Siraj Durrani was arrested on February 20, by the accountability bureau. He was accused in three cases pertaining to illegal appointments, accumulating assets beyond means and embezzlement of funds.

The Sindh High Court on December 12, granted him bail and asked him to submit sureties of Rs1million and surrender his passport to the court. The court also ordered his name to be added to the ECL.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal was arrested on December 23 by NAB as he appeared before it in relation to a corruption case in relation to the Narowal Sports City Complex.

An accountability court on December 24 granted a 13-day remand of Ahsan to the NAB.

It seems Year 2019 will leave with the end of the PTI government’s avowed policy of stern accountability, as the federal cabinet approved and President Arif Alvi signed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Amendment Ordinance 2019 into law on December 27.

The government has de-fanged the amended accountability law as the NAB could not freeze the properties of government employees without court order.

If NAB will fail to complete investigation against a suspect within three months, the accused will be entitled to bail, the law said.

The anti graft watchdog’s jurisdiction over matters relating to imports and levy has been curtailed in the amended law.

More importantly, NAB will now only be able to proceed in corruption cases of Rs500 million and above, the law said.

The Year 2020 is coming with new challenges in political, economic as well as diplomtic fronts for Pakistan and its people hoping best from the government as well as the political elite of Pakistan including the opposition leaders to steer clear the country of these formidable challenges.