The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers Wednesday clashed with the police deployed for security around the NAB Rawalpindi office in Islamabad as Asif Ali Zardari and son Bilawal Bhutto Zardari were set to record their statements in a case of illegal transfer of forest land to Pak Lane Estate Company (pvt) Ltd – a firm owned by the father-son duo.
At least one police official was injured after a lady worker hurled a stone at him. In an effort to control PPP workers and stop them from entering the NAB office, the police baton-charged the PPP workers and also arrested over 100 of them. Local leadership of the party was also present on the occasion. A day earlier, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had given a call to the local party leaders to reach NAB Rawalpindi office to express solidarity with the duo.
The attitude of the PPP leadership and workers put the law-enforcement personnel into a dilemma. Use of force against political workers has never been appreciated. It was difficult for the law-enforcers to control the workers without use of force even then they showed restraint. The appearance of the duo before the NAB was simply a legal matter. The father and son should have focused on the legal side of the case instead they opted for a ‘political drama’ to declare themselves popular and innocent simultaneously. The PPP leadership must prove themselves innocent before the accountability bureau as the street protests will yield nothing good to them.
On the other hand, the attitude of PPP leadership and workers proved the NAB apprehensions regarding continuing probe into the scam of money laundering through fake bank accounts in Karachi justified. The workers on Wednesday did not let the things move smoothly as accountability of the political leaders starts in the federal capital where PPP enjoys a very thin presence. Imagine the scene is of Karachi where PPP has its own government, administration and party presence and the scale of rowdyism by the opposition party. The PPP leadership has been demanding that probe into the money laundering through fake bank accounts scam not be shifted from Karachi to Islamabad. The Wednesday’s episode has weakened the case of PPP’s top leadership.
