Image often mirrors reality.

Byline: Abbas Nasir

THE people may be going under, given the weight of what is increasingly looking like stagflation, but the government, its head, and other key institutions' bosses continue to score own goals even as they remain obsessed with Pakistan's image abroad.

Let me explain what I mean by own goals. In our country where the Constitution and all laws flowing from it remain in force at least in theory, on a recent visit to China the prime minister expressed frustration at not being able to imprison scores (was it 500 or 5,000?) of people he considers corrupt.

At the same time, the chairman of NAB went to the media and said he wished he had Saudi Arabia type of powers to deal with the corrupt. The chairman, who is said to favour head-to-toe accountability, did not explain whether he wanted the power to behead the corruption accused; apart from that he already possesses the most draconian of powers, so why lust after powers foreign?

He may have explained had he had time from welcoming the publisher of a little-known magazine which named him 'Mr Accountability ' and then having the NAB public relations department circulating a picture to the media where he is shown displaying the cover with his own photo.

For a government that says it is democratic and vociferously champions the right to self-determination of the oppressed peoples from Kashmir to Palestine with legitimate cause to look like it wants to deny due process to its own people must appear like a bad joke to outsiders.

Going by the arrogance of our rulers, one seriously doubts that they would be open to any counsel, but try one must.

Given the arrogance of our rulers, I seriously doubt that they would be open to any counsel, but try one must. The image of a country as law-abiding and responsible often reflects the reality within that country. Millions of dollars spent on foreign lobbyists and image consultants can't deliver miracles.

Let's just focus on the criminal justice system which has long been crying out for reform. It is to the credit of the current chief justice of Pakistan that he has dramatically cut the number of pending cases, some pending for decades, before the Supreme Court.

Even then this laudable endeavour is no more than a drop in the ocean. Take the example of Junaid Hafeez. An innocent man has been languishing in prison for six years while his case has not even been decided by the trial court.

He stays in prison on trumped-up blasphemy charges while the...