My husband, who sacrificed his life but did not not bow to evil and corruption, deserves justice and not just medals
KARACHI: I would like to applaud the authorities for taking the decision to restore the death penalty and resuming the hanging of murderers and terrorists who have destroyed thousands of families. However, will justice be served to everyone through these hangings? I would like to ask the law-enforcement agencies this: was the killing of my husband, Dr Muhammad Saleem Chaudhry (Shaheed), the ex-principal of Dawood College of Engineering & Technology, Karachi, not an act of terrorism? He was shot dead on March 25, 2005, exactly 10 years ago, on his way back from the college.
Terrorism has grown in the country as a result of the denial of justice to those who have been grievously wronged. I have been writing, appealing and knocking at every door for the last 10 years through the media and other channels and to the authorities of the country to grant justice to this brave educationist of our country, who sacrificed his life fighting against evil and corruption, and who was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his services to the nation in 2006. Dr Chauhdry was also awarded the Top 100 Educators of the World Award, the Top 2,000 Intellectuals of the Century Award and the International Educator of the Year Award by Cambridge University. His brutal killing had outraged not just Pakistanis but the international community as well. Several letters were sent to the then president by students, doctors and Pakistani citizens living in the UK and the US, condemning this act of terrorism and demanding immediate justice.
It is the foremost responsibility of the government and the law enforcement agencies to arrest the culprits involved in Dr Chauhdry’s murder. Even with a suo-motu action being taken on this case by the then chief justice of Pakistan, the culprits are still roaming free. Despite our continuous appeals to successive governments, not a single arrest has been made.
On top of all this, my youngest daughter, Nabiha Chauhdry, a brilliant CSP officer, who was following in her father’s footsteps in serving the nation, lost her life tragically and in suspicious circumstances last October in CSS Academy in Lahore whilst fighting for justice for her father. Is this is what is in store for those who lay down their lives fighting against corruption and evil and is this how justice will be denied to bereaved families? Is this the fate of all those honest, dedicated and patriotic people of our country, who try to clean their organisations in particular and the country as a whole, from corruption, dishonesty and nepotism? Will I be granted justice having suffered through such heartbreak? We repeatedly see our valuable professional citizens being eliminated. It is a matter of shame for the entire nation that a blind eye has been turned to such a heinous act against an educationist, which was condemned all over the world, in stark contrast to the attitude of our unconcerned officials, comfortably ensconced in their air-conditioned halls. The most shocking part is the negligence by our own Pakistani lawmakers and government officials in this regard. My husband, who is widely respected for sacrificing his life on principles and not bowing to evil and corruption, deserves justice and not just medals. The least this country could give him in return for what he did for the country is to give him justice. Such denials of justice provoke the common people of our country to pick up arms and break the law in order to avenge the injustice done to them.
Simeen Saleem
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2015.
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