GIVEN Pakistan’s history, the word ‘accountability’ is invariably linked to the term ‘political victimisation’. Consequently, the reopening of cases by a court against ex-president Asif Zardari on Friday, the day when the new National Accountability Bureau chief took charge, may well fuel rumours. Are we about to re-enter the old era when politicians were persecuted but their conviction in a court of law and the recovery of the nation’s riches they were accused of robbing remained elusive? That is almost a reflexive question. NAB has to prove itself a more genuine entity than accountability establishments of the past, such as the infamous Ehtesab Bureau. In principle, if the accountability people have a case, it must be pursued to its logical end. But there should be no motive other than the intent to investigate corruption, and no signs that selective justice is being pursued. Otherwise, the accountability bureau will lose its purpose.

To live up to the ideal of an impartial organ that is working on behalf of the state and not the government, NAB must break with the past when accountability bureaus carried out media trials of a select few. Sometimes the outcome favoured the ones in power and at other times the real gainers were the ‘victims’ who claimed to have been vindicated by the prosecution’s failure to have them convicted. In either case, the ideals of justice were not served and Pakistanis were betrayed. There may again be public calls for accountability, and one of NAB’s biggest tests under the new chief is to succeed where so many others have failed, i.e. resisting the temptation of playing to the gallery. Another crucial task for it would be to widen the accountability net and bring into it people other than politicians, bureaucrats and the occasional businessman. It might, for instance, want to look into allegations of corruption against the military for the misuse of land. Unless others get to answer for their misdeeds, NAB will continue to be seen as a discriminatory set-up.