Daily Times

Sir: There has been unprecedented condemnation of the terrorists’ attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar. This unanimity should be followed by concentrated actions to root out the menace of terrorism. Elected and unelected, the media and masses all demanded enforcement of capital punishment. But as a human rights activist, I beg to differ; violence begets violence. Research shows that in those countries where capital punishment is enforced the crime rate is increasing. The usual plea is that courts don’t prosecute the terrorists; the judges say in a majority of cases the police don’t prepare strong cases. If there is no strong evidence or witness, the judges cannot bypass the law and are compelled to set free these criminals. The police have their own compulsions and witnesses fear a backlash. Thus the matter is not one of judicial or law enforcement problems but of sustainable political will. With the enforcement of capital punishment and without due legal process (in the case of military courts) the terrorists executed may in the long run arouse a wave of sympathy among their families, relatives, ethnic and religious following and the possibility of a new, stronger and more sophisticated terrorism wave cannot be ruled out. Terrorists must be taken to task but capital punishment is no long term solution.

GULSHER

Peshawar