Playing games with the law

No society or religion supports terrorist activities. Militants involved in targeting innocent people cannot be tolerated. Every segment of society condemns terrorist attacks without considering the religion, race and colour of the victims, who are always innocent. That is exactly what Pakistan did in the wake of the recent church bombings in Lahore.

However, the lynching of two men by a charged mob after the bombings made me more insecure and vulnerable than anything else. The fact that some injured police officials were not allowed to get medical aid by the mob made me all the more nervous. It is the duty of the government to protect the lives and property of all citizens without discrimination of race, colour, language and religion. Law enforcement agencies are assigned this duty. But on March 15, the government failed.

Now, after the Youhanabad incident, the problems of mob justice and lawlessness have emerged as fresh challenges that need to be tackled on an urgent basis. After any incident, it is the duty of the police and rescue forces to shift the injured to the hospital and the dead to mortuaries. The police have to cordon off the crime scene to collect evidence for forensic analysis and investigation. Handling angry relatives and supporters of the injured and dead is also a task that the police needs to perform effectively. When the mob makes victims out of the police, it becomes difficult for the police to perform its duties.

The incident in Lahore reminded me of the Sialkot tragedy where two brothers were lynched publicly by a mob in the presence of the police and district administration. The repeated incidents of mob justice can be used to gauge the extent to which the rule of law prevails in society. These incidents depict that intolerance reigns supreme in society, and at so large a scale that people prefer to administer ‘justice’ from outside the justice system. It is quite evident that people have no trust in our police system or in our courts.

It is imperative that people be made aware that they need to let the police discharge its duty freely and that a sense of security among the police force will enhance its commitment to safeguarding citizens. In this regard, the police also has a duty to dispel the impression that it is negligent in its duties by performing its role honestly and effectively.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2015.