The murder of a rice cracker seller during a wedding in Pattoki a couple of days back signifies the murder of humanity, as the Quran says whoever kills a soul, it is as if he has killed the whole of mankind. According to the FIR of the incident, the vendor got into a dispute with guests who got riled up, beat the man to death, and dragged him inside the wedding hall.
The video that has surfaced shows the man dead on the ground partially covered with a sheet while guests continue to enjoy their food. What evil did this poor man commit to receive such an ending? Was it his crime to earn an honest living by selling crackers? There are no words to describe such a horrific incident that has shocked the nation to its core. Following public and social media outrage, the Punjab Inspector General of Police took notice of the incident and the Kasur DPO immediately responded by conducting raids and arresting 13 suspects. A final report is now awaited in which the “real facts” will come to light. We hope that perpetrators receive the harshest of punishments for their act of brutality. But those who were present during the incident, eating food instead of calling emergencies officials or an ambulance, must also receive some form of strict punishment for their negligence as citizens. Justice should be ensured to the family of the deceased and the state must enforce financial responsibility of the family to all those involved. The incident should urge us to introspect and ponder over what we have become as an Islamic society. One cannot even fathom the sheer ignorance required to continue to eat after murdering someone. This is tantamount to the death of the soul and the death of morality.
There is indeed something amiss in our society and we need to figure out what has led to this level of moral decadence. Even though such incidents have been occurring sporadically across the country, the increasing pattern emerging in Kasur is quite alarming. The government must seriously look into this through sociological studies.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 26th, 2022.
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