All alleged criminals should be dealt in accordance with the law
LAHORE: This refers to the reaction by the Sindh chief minister and the prime minister following the arrest of Khawaja Izhar, an MQM MPA. It is surprising that on the day when at least 28 innocent citizens were killed in a terrorist attack on a mosque in the Mohmand tribal area, the majority of electronic media, the PM and the federal government considered it appropriate to focus only on Karachi, as if those who were massacred in the tribal area were children of a lesser god.
Other than mere technicalities of the SSP, who conducted raids, and informing the Assembly speaker which had previously been done after the arrest of other parliamentarians, it was court orders that were being implemented. As for the media hype about need for female police to accompany the SSP for maintaining sanctity of chaddar char diwari, may I ask if they accompany policemen when conducting raids on private residences to arrest alleged criminals? Agreed, however, that the police should be more discreet and respectful to citizens.
This freemasonry and comradeship, be it by politicians, parliamentarians, lawyers, or young doctors has nurtured a criminal culture and impeded the rule of law in Pakistan. The privileged sections of society consider it a right to violate laws as and when it suits them. Their vested interest is far more sacrosanct to them than what constitutes collective national interest. Why should a law officer authorised by court be required to seek permission of political executives or for that matter, any other head of an institution? Are we to assume that the police are there only to arrest ordinary citizens whose taxes pay their salaries and fund the luxurious lifestyles of elected and paid public office-holders? All alleged criminals should be dealt in accordance with the law and not be an issue to be sorted out by elected political stakeholders.
Ali Malik Tariq
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2016.
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