A host of questions

Accusations that this or that government agency was ‘not taking seriously’ any particular problem or issue are so common as to have almost become a cliche, but sometimes the evidence of a ‘lack of seriousness’ is so stark as to be astonishing — and truly reprehensible. The Safoora bus attack on May 13 left 46 dead, most of them members of the Ismaili community. A banned group, Jundullah, claimed responsibility and leaflets supporting the Islamic State (IS) were found at the scene. Senior political figures all condemned the atrocity and General Raheel Sharif went so far as to cancel a trip to Sri Lanka in order to visit Karachi and make an assessment personally. He also telephoned Prince Aga Khan, leader of the Ismaili community worldwide, to express his condolences. Against that background, the government announced the appointment of a special public prosecutor, and a two-member team was engaged in the case in August by the Sindh government.



It is now announced that the two men appointed to head the prosecution team have resigned, the reason being that they quite rightly have concerns about their own security as well as the fact that they have not been paid as promised. The prosecutorial system is weak and vulnerable, and open to influence and intimidation from external forces. In a case such as this, the highest prosecutorial standards are required. Both the federal and provincial governments, however, have failed to properly protect those engaged for a highly risky job. At the very least, this is a ‘lack of seriousness’ and will ring alarm bells, yet again, for members of any marginalised group in the country that is the victim of a terrorist attack. Once again, the state has shown weakness in the face of terror, failed to live up to reasonable expectations and left the advantage with those who spread fear and carnage in the name of sectarianism. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that there are powerful elements within government, provincial and federal, that support those who carry out sectarian attacks. Were it to be otherwise, the prosecutors would have been properly protected and paid. The ‘lack of seriousness’ accusation is wholly justified.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2015.

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