KARACHI:
There has been a widespread demand for public hangings in the wake of the recent motorway incident. Public rage against the criminals of this horrific incident is fully justified and the culprits must be brought in for trial. Surprisingly, I fail to understand why our legislators, along with the PM, have joined the chorus of public hangings. Justice must be served and prosecution should be proper. But during the course of proceedings, legal boundaries must be observed and justice ought to be served within the legal framework. Any extra-judicial practice must be shunned.
Public hangings are uncommon and almost extinct because it appears to be a less-sophisticated method of deterrence since it is a primitive and medieval concept not compatible with today’s modern, educated and liberal societies. They are not only considered morally unacceptable, but many believe that they remain ineffective to curb the rate of such crimes. According to the rankings of the best countries for women to live in, the top five countries do not resort to public hangings; yet these countries are the safest for women, in turn proving that this is not an effective solution. Furthermore, it goes without saying that it is the certainty of punishment, not the severity of punishment, that lowers crimes. If history serves any purpose then we all should be aware that violence breeds violence.
A dearth of legislation is not the issue at hand since there are many laws in Pakistan that prohibit such acts. The real problem lies in its implementation. The conviction rate in rape cases is only around 3% while majority of cases aren’t even reported. Therefore, I would like to request our legislators to think with a clear head. Although the demand for public execution carries populist appeal, it will not serve the ultimate purpose. Instead, we as a society must aspire for the abolition of patriarchy and promotion of gender equality.
Waseem Akram
Kamalia
Published in The Express Tribune, September 26th, 2020.
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