An unpunished crime

Although a medico-legal report confirmed rape and offenders were identified, there hasn't been a single arrest.

A recent incident in Punjab warns us that we have sick minds lurking amongst us that deem it acceptable to rape young girls and then abandon them in dangerous, unhealthy states. A nine-year-old girl was kidnapped in Bahawalpur by a man and three women — the women apparently not concerned about the safety of their young fellow female — and raped by three men. The child was beaten to a near unconscious state before being abandoned. Once the mother found the child and attempted to go to the police, one of the kidnappers stopped her and threatened to kill her if she proceeded. Today, in some countries, even threatening one with something is a crime. However, in Pakistan, sometimes even actual injustices are dismissed as not being crimes.

Merciless is perhaps the only word that comes to mind when we reflect on the topic of humanity in Pakistan; i.e., humanity in its truest form is frequently difficult to find here. Not one of the seven people responsible for the child’s miserable state had the conscience to help her. It is unfathomable that although the medico-legal report has confirmed a case of rape and the mother of the child has identified most of the offenders, there has not been a single arrest. Unfortunately, we have seen so many cases of injustice in our country that now, only when the Supreme Court steps in do we really see some action taken against offenders. Let us hope that this child is able to recover, both physically and psychologically, should she survive. At the same time, the perpetrators need to face extreme consequences. If the police need public pressure to arrest these criminals, let the public apply pressure; we do not want to see this child’s story end the same way as that of the Delhi gang-rape victim. If she dies, our citizens may not have the same will power as those of Delhi to demand a change to rape laws as even now, most people remain silent on the issue.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2013.