Raheel’s daring gesture to restore confidence of masses, investors

Lahore: The Pakistan Ex-servicemen Association (PESA) on Friday supported the bold action of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Raheel Sharif by converting his warning of accountability across the board into reality.

COAS took an unprecedented action to dismiss thirteen serving Army officers, including one Lt Gen and one Maj Gen, on charges of corruption which will restore confidence of masses and the business community while giving new life to process of accountability, it said.

Though full details of the charges are still not known, there is an urgent need to go into weaknesses and loopholes in the system that let these officers to indulge in such a criminal act, the PESA members demanded in a meeting chaired by their President Lt. Gen Ali Kuli Khan (Retd).

Vice Admiral Ahmad Tasnim, Air Marshal Masood Akhtar, Lt Gen Naeem Akbar, Brig Mian Mahmud, Brig Masud ul Hassan and Brig Simon Sharaf were also present.

It was noted that the bold action should also put to end to comments like, ‘Holy Cows’ and demands from certain quarters that the Chief of Army Staff should first of all start from the Army.

The PESA officials said that ball is in Prime Minister’s court who has to give details about the source and justify legality of amassing huge wealth by his children.

At the same time, other cases of alleged money laundering and corruption must not be left to fizzle out due to improper investigation.

As regards the case related to the container ship Jonathan, as per reports of the time, the federal government wanted to carry out Custom clearance at Karachi as it suspected that the ship was carrying used plants and not scrap whereas Ittefaq Industries had been insisting on Custom clearance at Lahore Dry Port, where PML-N was in power.

The army chief’s call for across-the-board accountability comes as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is embroiled in the explosive Panama Papers which count his family among other global political elite with undeclared offshore assets.

This has also enhanced interest in the promised disclosures by leader of the Chhotoo Gang about his supporters and facilitators.