Not close enough

The statement by Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar that the government is “inching closer” to the solution of the case in which 45 Ismailis were butchered on a bus, begs more questions than it answers. On the one hand, we must welcome the news that there is progress in the case, but on the other, question why, if the government and its various agencies have the culprits “on their radar”, which according to the interior minister they have — are they not in custody? It is disingenuous and ambiguous statements such as this that undermines the credibility of individual ministers as well as those who speak on behalf of the police and security agencies.

There is no clarity, precision or comfort to be had in the words of the interior minister, and his statement will have done little beyond fuel doubt and disbelief among those who lost friends and relatives on May 13. We do understand that there will be operational constraints in that it is not in the interests of the government or its agencies to reveal details that might give the edge to the culprits, but this could have been better handled than it was.

The interior minister continued to do himself no favours by saying that “the terrorists’ days are numbered” — which it is manifestly obvious that they are not. He further criticised those calling for the resignation of the Sindh chief minister, saying “these kinds of incidents happen every day” and that it was irrational to demand the resignation of all and sundry as a result — a remark that is off the scale for its insensitivity.

The reality appears to be that some arrests might have been made, but there have been no arrests of key suspects, and none appear to be imminent. The May 13 massacre of innocent men and women going about their lawful business ought to have provoked national outrage, but this did not happen on the scale that it should have. Those murdered were all Ismailis and this government has a lamentable record when it comes to prosecuting those who persecute. We hope to hear of an early arrest, but have little expectation.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2015.

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