Turning tragedies into political propaganda

Imran Khan shouldn't make Kasur case about himself, PTI. This is not about winning elections, beating opposition

Pakistan has two quandaries to grapple with — such a shame that it takes the most tragic turn of events to finally bring these pertinent issues to the forefront. One is to protect our children from violent militant attacks, and the other is to protect them from sexual exploitation.

The child abuse case in Kasur seems equally horrifying every time I read about it. A gang of 20 to 25 men allegedly filmed pornographic videos of at least 280 children. One can’t help but wonder how this world is infested with people who are sick enough to harm children in mental and physical capacities that leave them feeling shattered, confused and terrified, all at once. These wounds run deeper than we can even imagine, and the men who knowingly inflicted this level of pain on scores of innocent children cannot be shown any mercy. In addition to the nature of this case that has deeply saddened so many of us, what shocks me more is the manner in which it is being politicised.

If any of you have been following my past columns, you probably noticed that I’m anything BUT a PML-N supporter. In fact, my political allegiances are indefinite. My criticism spreads far and wide when I feel it is well deserved. Even though I’ve been railing against the current government on numerous occasions, I felt a strong urgency to shift gears and bear down on Imran Khan’s recent comments about the outrage in Kasur while he was campaigning for the NA-19 by-election.

He accused the Punjab police of forcing parents to compromise with their children’s abusers. On August 10, 2015, lawyer and activist Latif Ahmed Sara also claimed that the police were “dragging their feet” in the case since some of the videos actually dated back to 2007. Sara added that the police are protecting the criminals and providing them with opportunities to escape Hussain Khanwala. Pakistan’s police officials don’t have the cleanest track record — understatement of the century. Imran Khan accurately highlighted the institution’s corrupt nature by asserting that no one has been held responsible for the June 2014 Model Town massacre.

Yes, Hussain Khanwala lies in the PML-N’s jurisdiction, and yes, the administration must put continuous pressure on the sluggish police to make sure the perpetrators of this cruelty are brought to justice. Anything less than a gruelling effort is inexcusable and likely to raise questions of a political cover-up (something that Sara has already pointed out).

Imran Khan, however, should not use this incident as a propaganda stunt for the PTI. He reportedly stated that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) police are “the best of all” in the country because they never register false complaints, unlike the police forces in Punjab and Sindh. He went on to suggest that Nawaz Sharif has tainted the Punjab police. He concluded his address with the following comment: the by-elections in NA-19 would be a fight between “old and new systems”.

Mudslinging is expected in politics, but spare it for now. Instead of exploring strategic avenues that could prevent such child abuse cases from spiralling out of control in the future, he immediately found an opportunity to lash out at his adversary while promoting K-P’s governing system. He, then, found a way to tie in the by-election, indicating that his government is representative of “the new system”.

The PML-N government deserves the condemnations it receives, but in times like this, Imran Khan should not make the Kasur case about himself and the PTI. This is not about winning elections and beating the opposition, this is about saving children and preventing them from undergoing further harm.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2015.

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