One of the signs of reconciliation between the establishment and a political party is a sudden lenient attitude of the judiciary and other institutions towards its leader or leaders. For a long time now, we've had the feeling that Zardari has made amends with those who matter in the country. His party's separation from the Pakistan Democratic Movement was an early indication. This was followed by his support to the establishment's chosen chairman in a no-confidence vote. It looks like the PPP will get enough seats in the next rigged general elections to form a coalition government.
So I was not at all surprised when NAB told the Islamabad High Court that the entire record of cases against Zardari had disappeared and could not be traced. This apparently shocked the judge, but as the judiciary is nowadays in conflict with the army, he probably guessed what had happened.
It's when such things happen that I lose faith in Pakistan. The other day a killer was acquitted because the Investigation Officer had not been able to prove that he had committed the murders. What probably happened was that the inspector was bribed and did not present the required evidence. Usually, the heirs of a murdered man or woman are forced by the relatives of the accused to accept compensation and "forgive" the killer. Then there is the well-known case of Usman Mirza, who forced a couple to strip and have sex so he could film the event and blackmail them. Initially there was a lot of brouhaha but now everyone seems to have lost interest. The murder of Noor Mukaddam is another example of one law for the rich and another one for the poor. But our leaders have not learned from history and continue to make the same mistakes that led to the country's dismemberment.
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