Whither the rule of law?

Whatever one may feel one way or the other about the MQM, any sensible and right-minded person would have a profound unease at the way in which the arrest and detention of its functionary Waseem Akhtar has been handled. Specifically, the alleged leak of a confessional statement regarding the events of May 12, 2007. This was allegedly made to a Joint Investigation Team, the legality of which is itself questionable and the substance of the ‘confession’ must be in doubt — as must the motives of those behind the leak.

From the perspective of the police, this would be the smoking gun they have sought, but the ‘confession’ is worthless unless it is tested evidentially in a court of law, where the facts may be examined and a conclusion determined. If any other route is taken then it may be regarded as an unproven allegation only and the ‘confession’ doubtful until the precise circumstances of its extraction is known. There may be any number of cases pending against Mr Akhtar but he, like every other citizen of Pakistan, is entitled to a fair trial whether that suits the police or not. Accusing the MQM of a range of offences and then failing to prove them in the appropriate venue is no way to approach crimes such as those committed in May, 2007. The police are stooping to the level of the very organisation they are seeking to prosecute — and there are at the least, reasonable grounds for suspicion in terms of political involvement in those bloody events — but the rule of law has to be paramount if we are not to descend once again in Karachi, into a bear-pit. Assorted private TV channels compounded the problem by airing talk shows that featured the ‘confession’ and the assumption of innocence until proven guilty went out of the nearest available window. Mr Akhtar remains the MQM candidate for the mayoralty of Karachi and his party will doubtless stand by him — but the police and sections of the media need to rein themselves in and let due process take its course, not the modern equivalent of mob rule.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2016.

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