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Ansar Burney to donne Anna Hazare's mantle in Pakistan
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Ansar Burney has said he would launch his anti-graft crusade after the Eid
The misrule of President Zardari’ government, mayhem in Karachi, radicalization of sections of the society which have brought misery and bloodshed as an everyday dosage and above all the ever widening economic disparities have in a manner of speaking set the stage for Ansar Burney’s campaign.
Ansar Burney, Pakistan's first human rights minister, and a member of the United Nation's Human Rights Council Advisory Committee, has decided to follow the lead of Gandhian Anna Hazare in fighting corruption. He will launch his campaign after the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations that mark the end of month-long month of fast. He will run the campaign under the aegis of the Ansar Burney Trust
Burney’s decision comes as a response to the prayers voiced in local media columns, particularly the popular Urdu dailies for Pakistan’s Anna Hazare and to get rid the country of not merely big ticket corruption but also the small bribes they are forced to pay in daily life.
‘When will an Anna Hazare be born in Pakistan to raise his voice against the evil of corruption in the country’, lamented influential daily, Ibrat in an editorial on Aug 23. It said raising your voice against corruption is also a form of jihad.
Corruption is endemic in Pakistan. And army has come to epitomize corruption with a sprawling business enterprise of its own but it has been escaping scrutiny since it enjoys the status of a Holy Cow in the country. The return of People’s Party of Pakistan to power was facilitated by a deal between the party leader Benazir Bhutto and the then President gen Musharraf under which an amnesty was declared for all those charged or convicted with corruption.
One of the beneficiaries of Musharraf’s generosity was Asif Ali Zardari, who had faced several cases some instituted by Nawaz Sharif government and some by Musharraf regime itself. He had earned the sobriquet of Mr Ten Percent when his wife Benazir was the prime minister of the country in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Several senior politicians and military brass have been accused of receiving kickbacks.
Burney is not a run of the mill politician in Pakistan. He has earned a name with his work to free innocent prisoners and rescue child trafficking victims. He is widely admired for his campaign to end the use of Pakistan children as Camel Jockeys in West Asia
Though it is too early to say whether he will dare to collide head-on with the powerful army establishment, Burney has the right credentials to emerge as the Anna Hazare of Pakistan. His statement that Pakistan is suffering from "rampant and continuously growing corruption and terrorism destroying every fabric of our nation and any prospects of a decent future for our children and grandchildren," shows his resolve to fight the scourge with his two hands.
He appears to keep away from the army for the present. This is clear from his remark that his campaign will ‘target corrupt figures in the country's government, judiciary, education system, police and business community’
Chief Justice Ifthikar Chaudhry has already set a precedent of sorts in mobilizing the people for a just cause in Pakistan. When he was sacked by the President of the day Pervez Musharraf some three years ago, not even his greatest admirers expected that he could bounce back to the apex court at the head of a people’s movement. But he did that feat and in so doing told the world the people of Pakistan are waiting for the right time and right cause to stand up against those in authority.
The misrule of President Zardari’ government, mayhem in Karachi, radicalisation of sections of the society which have brought misery and bloodshed as an everyday dosage and above all the ever widening economic disparities have in a manner of speaking set the stage for Ansar Burney’s campaign.
Burney’s decision comes as a response to the prayers voiced in local media columns, particularly the popular Urdu dailies for Pakistan’s Anna Hazare and to get rid the country of not merely big ticket corruption but also the small bribes they are forced to pay in daily life.
‘When will an Anna Hazare be born in Pakistan to raise his voice against the evil of corruption in the country’, lamented influential daily, Ibrat in an editorial on Aug 23. It said raising your voice against corruption is also a form of jihad.
Corruption is endemic in Pakistan. And army has come to epitomize corruption with a sprawling business enterprise of its own but it has been escaping scrutiny since it enjoys the status of a Holy Cow in the country. The return of People’s Party of Pakistan to power was facilitated by a deal between the party leader Benazir Bhutto and the then President gen Musharraf under which an amnesty was declared for all those charged or convicted with corruption.
One of the beneficiaries of Musharraf’s generosity was Asif Ali Zardari, who had faced several cases some instituted by Nawaz Sharif government and some by Musharraf regime itself. He had earned the sobriquet of Mr Ten Percent when his wife Benazir was the prime minister of the country in the late 1980s and mid-1990s. Several senior politicians and military brass have been accused of receiving kickbacks.
Burney is not a run of the mill politician in Pakistan. He has earned a name with his work to free innocent prisoners and rescue child trafficking victims. He is widely admired for his campaign to end the use of Pakistan children as Camel Jockeys in West Asia
Though it is too early to say whether he will dare to collide head-on with the powerful army establishment, Burney has the right credentials to emerge as the Anna Hazare of Pakistan. His statement that Pakistan is suffering from "rampant and continuously growing corruption and terrorism destroying every fabric of our nation and any prospects of a decent future for our children and grandchildren," shows his resolve to fight the scourge with his two hands.
He appears to keep away from the army for the present. This is clear from his remark that his campaign will ‘target corrupt figures in the country's government, judiciary, education system, police and business community’
Chief Justice Ifthikar Chaudhry has already set a precedent of sorts in mobilizing the people for a just cause in Pakistan. When he was sacked by the President of the day Pervez Musharraf some three years ago, not even his greatest admirers expected that he could bounce back to the apex court at the head of a people’s movement. But he did that feat and in so doing told the world the people of Pakistan are waiting for the right time and right cause to stand up against those in authority.
The misrule of President Zardari’ government, mayhem in Karachi, radicalisation of sections of the society which have brought misery and bloodshed as an everyday dosage and above all the ever widening economic disparities have in a manner of speaking set the stage for Ansar Burney’s campaign.
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