Ray of hope?

A monetary compensation from the Prime Minister for one of the two families that were left to grieve in the wake of the Sahiwal ‘encounter’ is welcome though, what matters the most in pursuit of justice is that the relevant authorities fulfil their due responsibility under the law without giving in to compulsions of any sort. The compensation — of Rs30 million — has only been handed out to the guardians of the two minor siblings who lost both of their parents, Khalil and Nabila, as well as a teenage sister in the horrific ‘encounter’ with Counter Terrorism Department cops in January this year. A fourth person killed in the encounter, named Zeeshan, has been declared a terrorist by a joint investigation team that probed the incident. The family of Zeeshan — who was driving the car that was taking Khalil and his family to Sahiwal — was not found worthy of any compensation.

Coming along with the monetary compensation during a meeting at the CM House in Lahore is an assurance from the PM that he stands by the small children, who survived the ‘encounter’, and their uncle Jalil, the brother of deceased Khalil, who is out to seek justice for the victim family. That Jalil has asked the PM to form a judicial commission to probe the incident shows his lack of trust in the investigations carried out by the joint investigation team that was constituted by the Punjab government. In what amounts to further distrust, Jalil also wants the case on the incident, pending with an anti-terrorism court in Sahiwal, transferred to Lahore as well as the cancellation of what he calls a false FIR registered by the CTD.

It is hoped that the meeting with the PM — described by Jalil as a ray of hope — would not turn out to be a mere photo op, and the PM will do all what lies within his domains to facilitate the victims in their quest for justice.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2019.

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