Run over to death

Even bulletproof cases can collapse when economic and power imbalances exist between crime suspects and victims

The recent incident in Karachi where five homeless siblings sleeping on a footpath were run over by a reckless driver is being seen by many as analogous to how the country works. Two victims died on the spot, the third died in hospital and the other two have been treated for injuries. Meanwhile, the driver, who was reportedly drunk, fled the scene and remains in the wind. Eyewitnesses say two cars were racing when one — a Honda Civic — ran over the victims. There were at least two people in the errant car, one of whom was taken to hospital by ambulance, from where he 'disappeared', while the driver got into the other racing car and fled with his friends. Some news reports suggest there was another passenger in the Civic, who also fled in the other car.

The fact that the police have been unable to make an arrest, despite having impounded the car that ran over the victims, illustrates how the gears of justice speed up or slow down in direct correlation to the 'importance' of the victim. The police already have the car and its licence plates, which should yield enough information to track down the car's owner. Yet, the failure to make a single arrest despite law enforcers claiming to have conducted several raids should be embarrassing, given that on different occasions, law enforcers have touted their ability to use all sorts of technology to track down terrorists and hardened 'professional' criminals.

A wealthy young man goes to have some reckless fun, kills three people, and will probably face no legal consequences. As we have seen too many times, even bulletproof cases can collapse when such economic and power imbalances exist between crime suspects and victims. Meanwhile, the migrant siblings that came to the country's richest city from Larkana to escape poverty died penniless on the street, let down by the state in life, and after death. While we sincerely hope for justice, the authorities have let us down too many times for us to be optimistic.