Power and impunity

There are few things more corrosive to the rule of law than the belief that power brings immunity. In Pakistan, people with money and influence can often exercise an authority far greater than that granted to them by the law. A recent confrontation involving a Karachi University professor shows how quickly an ordinary dispute can become an exercise in intimidation when one side believes it has the power to impose its will on the other.

The professor had reportedly intervened after a delivery rider's vehicle was damaged in a minor collision. For speaking up for the common man, the professor himself was beaten – with scant regard for his rightful dignified status in society as a teacher. Several suspects have been arrested, while the main suspect named in the case remains at large. Such disputes that should be settled through ordinary legal channels can quickly turn into contests of influence. Fear has become one of the most effective tools of the powerful, and too often there is little to suggest that they have anything to fear from the state. This is how impunity works. For millions of Pakistanis, this imbalance is familiar. A poor driver confronted by an influential motorist, a tenant dealing with a powerful landlord, a labourer demanding his wages or an ordinary citizen challenging an official can all find themselves calculating the personal cost of insisting on their rights. The fear of retaliation becomes a substitute for justice. People learn to withdraw and apologise because they know that being right offers little protection when the other side has power.

That is precisely why the state must be uncompromising when influential people use intimidation. The authorities have announced arrests and promised action. That response must be allowed to run its full course. Every person involved in the violence must be held accountable if the charges are proved. Ordinary citizens need concrete assurances that the state will protect them from the powerful.