Kidnappings in Punjab  

Letter August 07, 2016
The nation forgot about Jawaid Iqbal, but the incidents of children disappearing continued without any check

LAHORE: In 1999, the confession of Jawaid Iqbal Mughal of sexually abusing and murdering 100 children in Lahore shocked the entire nation. After carrying out this most heinous crime, the self-confessed criminal used to dispose of the children’s dead bodies by dissolving them in acid. Jawaid Iqbal and one of his three accomplices eventually committed suicide in the Kot Lakhpat Central Jail and this became an abrupt ending of one of the most barbaric stories in the history of mankind.

With the passage of time, the nation forgot about Jawaid Iqbal, but the incidents of children disappearing continued without any check, especially in the province of Punjab. Once again, in 2015, shocking videos of child sexual abuse in Kasur surfaced, which shocked not only the entire nation, but the international media condemned it in the most powerful words, and that incident once again brought the name of Pakistan in a negative light globally. As usual, no concrete steps were taken to apprehend and punish the perpetrators of such crimes. The trend has continued and we frequently find news of a similar nature still appearing in the media, especially from Punjab.

The acting chief justice of Pakistan has taken a suo-motu notice of child kidnapping in Punjab. With will, determination and firm rule of law, the people of Punjab can get rid of these daily kidnappings, but the help and guidance of the police and Rangers is a necessity in Punjab. Police pickets must be removed or manned by Rangers and army personnel as police pickets serve no purpose; they are meant to check only poor motorists, while people in expensive cars pass through them without any check.

The first and utmost duty of any government is to safeguard and honour the lives of its citizens. To fulfil this duty, the rulers must take all possible measures. The Punjab police have failed miserably in carrying out this basic duty effectively and now it’s time that the duty be shared by other law-enforcement agencies.

Aamir Aqil

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1st, 2016.

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