We must observe a day of mourning so that the nation realises what a severe tragedy has struck
LAHORE: The term ‘shameful’ would be an understatement when describing the disgraceful act of the gang in Kasur that subjected innocent children to sexual abuse and made videos to blackmail parents. The crimes were being carried out for several years, near the capital city of Punjab, the hub of development work with regard to the metro service and a network of new roads, skyscrapers and beds of flowers. But when it came to protecting children, the province’s authorities completely failed their job. Hats off to the media, especially the reporter, who first broke the story and displayed great courage and spirit in exposing Kasur’s inhumane and gruesome gang.
It is difficult to find suitable words to express my feelings of shame and rage. As usual, the higher-ups of the government expressed grief and promised exemplary punishment to the culprits. Will the culprits be punished? Or will the memory of this scandal fade from the minds of people, as happened with the case of Javaid Iqbal, who killed 100 children two decades ago, or that of 14-year-old Owais, who was sexually assaulted by a policeman on duty at a police picket at Drigh Colony in Karachi, and who, out of shame, then committed suicide. In January of this year, a five-year-old boy was found murdered in a Lahore mosque after being molested.
The world must be laughing at us. Had such an incident taken place in a truly democratic and civilised world, many heads would have rolled by now, an impartial inquiry would have been conducted and the whole nation would have observed a day of mourning, but no such traditions exist in the land of the pure. Police pickets at every nook and corner of the country, erected to catch terrorists and criminals, are simply a source of crime themselves. Officers mostly stop motorcyclists and subject them to body searches, often touching them inappropriately at times or forcefully grabbing their money. In an independent country, there should be no such police pickets and if these are required, law-enforcers should be trained and educated in how to conduct themselves in a civil fashion, with strict instructions for appropriate body searches, so as not to sexually harass people.
We come across news of child molestations daily but the authorities seem to be least bothered. Our teachers, parents and adults are ashamed of educating young children on this subject, whereas in a civilised world, sex education is compulsory. The media is busy printing and telecasting senseless stories, talk shows and coverage of VIP movements, but it never thinks of educating the youth about the existing psychosis of sexual abusers. I request the government not only to apprehend the Kasur criminals, but subject them to punishment and set an example to others. We must observe a day of mourning so that the nation realises what a severe tragedy has struck, one that reflects the true, sorry state of affairs in the country.
Aamir Aqil
Published in The Express Tribune, August 13th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
