The fatal shooting of a teenager by an influential person depicts the poor state of our society. We seem to be living in a jungle where might is right. Mustafa Kanju, the son of former state minister Siddique Kanju, has been arrested by the police for killing Zain Rauf, a 16-year-old boy, after a petty argument over a car accident. Zain was going on his motorcycle when he came under gunfire by Mustafa and his guards. The incident is not the first one where an innocent has been killed at the behest of an influential personality. Many examples exist of such killings over minor issues by spoiled youths hailing from the families of the high and mighty. The culture of keeping armed guards has become a fashion among these VIPs. These power-drunk people and their trigger-happy guards have no regard for human life, especially of ordinary citizens. A single nod from their masters is enough to make them kill any person without any remorse. The police have booked the accused under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), which shows the police’s inability to follow the law in its true sense. The police habitually manipulates the law in such cases for its convenience. According to the Islamabad High Court verdict, the premeditated murder of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer in the presence of dozens of witnesses in broad daylight does not come under the purview of terrorism, while according to the police, the killing of a boy after an accident altercation can be tried under the ATA. Such is the state of our police and judicial system. Justice must prevail whether it be a common man or a former minister’s son. The assumption is that like in such cases in the past, Mustafa Kanju will be bailed out soon and the victim’s family will be pressurised to accept blood money. There should be an end to the culture of keeping such brutal guards who have no regard for human life. The case must be pursued to its logical end and the killers punished for the crime because nobody is above the law. Our law enforcement agencies and the courts should decide as per the law in all such cases. It should not become another example where the influential can buy off justice. Besides punishing the culprit, it is also the responsibility of the state to provide security to the victim’s family and siblings who are being threatened by the perpetrators. When will we get rid of the atrocities of influential goons? There must be an end to this VIP culture in Pakistan. g