PRIME MINISTER Nawaz Sharif recording his statement before an FIA team suggests that the government is in fact serious about complying with the October 2012 Supreme Court judgement requiring the framing of charges against and prosecution of individuals linked to the stolen election of 1990.

It is all the more extraordinary because Mr Sharif himself was the direct beneficiary of that rigged election, winning a first term as prime minister by leading the IJI coalition that was manipulated to victory by the then army chief, Aslam Beg, and the then ISI chief, Asad Durrani.

Also read: PM records statement in Asghar Khan case

Yet, a history-setting trial is still far from certain. For one, the FIA inquiry has yet to record the statement of Aslam Beg. Whether Mr Beg intends to eventually cooperate with the inquiry is not known, but at the moment he does have a fairly credible reason for not doing so: the review petition against the Supreme Court judgement filed by the former army chief has yet to be decided.

The Supreme Court should expedite its hearing of the review petition so as to allow the FIA to meet its target of completing the inquiry by year end.

More troubling is the assertion by the interior minister that some military personnel were not cooperating with the inquiry.

While the minister did not clarify if he was referring to only Mr Beg or other individuals, it is known that a number of other former ISI and military officers have already appeared before the investigators. Are some other officers though not cooperating with the FIA?

Perhaps the interior minister will clarify the comment he made on Wednesday. If a serving prime minister can record his statement before the inquiry team, then why not military officers?

Reluctance to cooperate would be particularly unfortunate given that the military itself is pursuing the accountability of politicians in Sindh.

The present military leadership has made some effort to kick-start an accountability culture within the military by acting against generals involved in the NLC scam — though the punishments left much to be desired. It is hoped that the FIA will be facilitated in the Asghar Khan case inquiry.

The Asghar Khan case matters. Not just for historical reasons, but to reiterate that elections must be a reflection of the will of the people, not state institutions.

In an era when elections are routinely questioned and results challenged, it is worth remembering that true mass rigging has been seen in this country in the past — and such institutional threats have not been buried forever.

The PML-N government has shown some courage in its handling of the Asghar Khan case. The case, after all, is a potent reminder of the past democratic failings of many of the party’s leaders today. If civilians can face up to their past mistakes and submit to the law of the land, then why not the military?

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2015

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