Accountability goes hand in hand with democracy and serves to strengthen democratic norms by deterring corruption through checks and balances. Islamabad High Court’s restoration of disqualification to ten years for people convicted under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) is a good step in upholding the accountability regime. It was the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) that pleaded the restoration which means that people who have served their term in prison for corruption will not be able to contest elections for ten years. This disqualification time period is a good precedent and will stop people in politics to do corruption without any fear of punishment or repercussions.
The country is set to hold general elections in February and IHC’s verdict at this time is very significant. The months leading to elections are politically, constitutionally, and judicially very crucial. It is during these months that the judiciary’s decisions chart the course of democracy in various cases where state institutions and politicians are the petitioners. So this time is an equal chance to either disrupt or shake democratic values or to strengthen them, depending upon the decisions that are taken. Earlier, in a case, the disqualification period was reduced to five years which was in contrast with the NAB’s regulations.
The restoration of the ten-year disqualification period emphasises the court’s commitment to upholding the integrity of anti-corruption measures. This legal development underscores the judiciary’s role in maintaining the efficacy of accountability laws and indirectly boosting people’s trust in the electoral process. Pakistan’s corruption problem is widespread and has badly eroded people’s trust in politicians and the political process. In such a scenario, the role of state institutions whose prime function is checks and balances increases manifolds. NAB’s plea for restoring disqualification periods and IHC’s subsequent adoption of the decision give hope that the institutions are doing their part