I suggest that all those responsible for what happened to residents of Joseph Colony be tried for criminal negligence.
LAHORE: The Supreme Court in an interim order ruled that the attack by a mob on Joseph Colony in Lahore’s Badami Bagh was entirely preventable. It said that the Punjab police failed to protect the lives and properties of the residents of Joseph Colony because it seemed to know in advance that the attack was going to happen, which is why it warned the Christian community a day in advance to vacate their homes.
The Punjab police work under the Punjab Home Department and the home portfolio is presently with the chief minister. The chief minister also happens to be the Punjab president of the PML-N, a party that claims to be the same as that of the Quaid. It is a pity that the PML-N seems to have forgotten the ideals of the Quaid and his vision for Pakistan’s minorities. After the creation of Pakistan, the Quaid said: “Religious minorities will have protection with regard to their religion, faith, life and culture. They will be citizens of Pakistan without any distinction of caste and creed.” He also said that citizens were free to go to their mosques or any other place of worship and that faith of citizens would have nothing to do with the state.
I suggest that all those responsible for what happened to the residents of Joseph Colony be tried for criminal negligence. Merely suspending a few police officers will never achieve anything and will in fact send a signal to those behind the strife that they can act again.
ST Hussain
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2013.
