When high-profile judges are unsafe, then the plight of the common man on the street is anybody’s guess.
LAHORE: This is with reference to the editorial “Attack on judge’s convoy” (June 27). The editorial has rightly pointed out that the federal and provincial governments need to mend their ways and save Pakistan from complete destruction. The primary function of the state is the protection of its citizens. When high-profile judges are unsafe, then the plight of the common man on the street is anybody’s guess.
Apart from the need to depoliticise the police as pointed out by the editorial, one major step that should be taken is to implement an effective witness protection programme. More than 92 police officers, who took part in the clean-up operation against miscreants during the 1990s, are dead. Naturally, this will deter other police officers from doing their utmost to effectively investigate crimes.
To sum up, political parties need to support an all-out operation against the outlaws, the police and district administrations should be completely independent, a de-weaponisation campaign to purge the city of illegal weapons should be carried out, and finally, for effective prosecution, a witness protection programme needs to be put in place.
Omer Butt
Published in The Express Tribune, June 28th, 2013.
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