In order to avoid the occurrence of such ghastly crimes in future, implementing the law is the need of the hour.
KHAIRPUR: Despite the fact that many gang rapes would have gone unreported due to fear of loss of honour, social boycott from relatives and society, the official report to parliament by the ministry of law, justice and human rights says that 344 cases of rape and gang rape have been reported in only nine months during 2013.
With the start of 2014, we can add one more incident to the total count. After Mukhtaran Mai and Kainat Soomro, it is Saira Solangi. On January 20, while she headed back home from a wedding ceremony, the 12-year-old girl, the daughter of a poor peasant who lives in farmer’s colony in Gambat town, in Khairpur district, was kidnapped and gang-raped. For a peasant’s family, the world is already a very hard place to live in. This heart-wrenching incident has not only reduced the life of the little angel to an extremely sorry condition, she would now be leading a life which will be much different from that of other children. Moreover, the incident has probably also harmed the entire family socially.
Adding insult to injury, after four days passed, the local police have not even apprehended the barbaric criminals. According to some locally received reports, there is a cover being provided to the culprits by influential people and a police officer. When protectors themselves become accomplices and abettors, where a poor person is to go? When society, rather than, at least, extending moral support to the victim and the victim’s family, becomes callous to the degree that it no longer perceives the gang-rape of a child a deadly sin and crime and thus provides cover to it, where should the victim go to seek justice?
Human rights organisations are earnestly requested to highlight this issue. From the authorities concerned — the police and the judiciary — this time, we do not make a mere request for action, but demand that prompt action should be taken to provide justice to the aggrieved family and victim. In order to avoid the occurrence of such ghastly crimes in future, implementing the law is the need of the hour. Other than that, depoliticising the police by fixing the tenure of officers and ensuring accountability are of prime importance in this regard.
Zakaullah Mirbahar
Published in The Express Tribune, January 25th, 2014.
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