Daily Times

Another day and another cold-blooded murder in Karachi shocks the nation to the core; forcing it to relive the horrors of the tragic Shahzeb Khan case. The facts of the matter remained the same: a seemingly insignificant altercation, which fast escalated and culminated in an unhesitant, vile spectacle of power, but this time, the unfortunate person standing at the other end of the barrel came from the supposed “protected” class. Neither his uniform nor his gun nor his badge could protect the now martyred police officer, who had stood in the line of fire to draw an alleged abduction to a close. Since the accused is said to have already left the country, what becomes of this heart-wrenching case remains to be seen. Given the dismal prospects of justice, it is doomed to become yet another bloodied tally of the Pakistanis the system has failed. Getting away with murder is fast becoming a revered ritual in Pakistan. May it be legal loopholes paving the way for the notorious acquittal of Shahrukh Jatoi or the denial of justice in Parveen Rehman’s case, the state has a knack for adding to the miseries of the bereaved through their half-hearted efforts at investigation and criminalisation.

That a civilian–no matter who his father was–felt empowered enough to interrupt an apprehension, take the law into his own hands and twist it as per his nefarious whims is all the evidence we need to ascertain the order situation in the country. While clear-as-daylight camera footage and availability of the murder weapon would both facilitate the Karachi Police in registering a case with the Interpol for his extradition, his escape speaks volumes about the crippling absence of coordination mechanisms between different branches of law enforcement. In an ideal world, a person on the radar of police teams should also have been blacklisted by the excise department. From a said kidnapping attempt to an attack on the patrolling officers, who on God’s green earth can know what other crimes he committed before escaping in the dead of the night? However, whatever happens now and onwards cannot bring back the life of a promising officer, solace to his broken-hearted family and the smile of his soon-to-be bride. What to talk of the unsafe common man when those tasked with his protection continue to be swept away like toys by the highs and mighties! *