Pakistan is, however, seeing a quiet but remarkable revolution, as now such elements are being challenged.
KARACHI: The fake degree-holding parliamentarian, Jamshed Dasti, succeeded in fooling the sleepy Election Commission of Pakistan for the past six years. It, however, took only two hours for two ordinary patrol officers, SPO Imtiaz Ahmed and SPO Atta Muhammad, to tame him while his car was over-speeding on the Motorway. When finally forced to stop after dodging the Motorway Police four times, he alighted from his car and threatened the policemen, “You have no idea who I am. You have no idea about the powers of MNAs. You will regret this.” The patrolling officers remained courteous and politely informed the MNA that everyone was equal before the law.
“I will get you transferred to Balochistan. You do not know my powers,” was the next threat hurled by the MNA. The policemen politely replied that they were ready to serve wherever the government posted them.
This, and the incident of an MPA forcing the entry of his weapon-carrying bodyguards into the Balochistan Assembly, are nothing new for the lawless ruling elite of Pakistan. The courts, the government and the police officials are too scared and compromised to apply the law even-handedly. Pakistan is, however, seeing a quiet but remarkable revolution, as now such elements are being challenged, not by elephant-sized institutions, but by ordinary, conscientious policemen and citizens. It is these policemen who are our real heroes and deserve our respect and gratitude. The only way to fight terrorism and militancy in Pakistan is to begin from these lawbreakers, who consider their parliamentary privilege as a licence for lawlessness.
Naeem Sadiq
Published in The Express Tribune, July 31st, 2013.
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