TURBAT:
In our country, while it is easy for crooks and criminals to escape without facing any legal consequences, it is even more difficult to punish those who hold positions of power. We, the citizens, expect the police and other law enforcers to protect us from brutal attacks and hardened criminals. But what if these officials act as criminals themselves? The whole idea of legality would then be put into question. What would be the difference between two such actors — with one yielding authority and the other using terror as a tool for coercion?
The murder of 21-year-old Osama Satti is a clear example of how security officials in the country are going against the very ideals they have sworn to protect, while in the process conveniently trying to hide their wrongdoings. Satti’s parents assert that their son was murdered by a unit of the Islamabad police, who are trying to cover up the situation by claiming it to be a case of mistaken identity. Shockingly, 22 bullets were fired on Satti’s car while he was driving on the highway. Don’t the officials follow some sort of SOP during such situations?
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only incident that has occurred. Some four months ago, a student in Turbat named Hayat Baloch was shot eight times in front of his parents. Many such cases across the country often go unnoticed or are suppressed through brute force. The major problem is that there is lack of accountability.
In both the cases the protectors were the murderers — there is no doubt about that. It is about time for us to revolutionise the way we train our armed forced. Apart from hardening them, we need to teach them how to deal with specific situations by enforcing tailor-made security procedures.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2021.
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