Daily Times

Even if the parents of Shahzeb Khan, the slain 20-year-old college student, have indeed agreed to receive Rs 350 million, as speculated by the media, from the family of the convicted murderer of their son Shahrukh Jatoi, I still do not censure them for making that decision. Although a great deal has been written on social media to show disapproval of their action and has been discussed extensively on television, I fully support them in their attempt to end the dispute, an option that not only provides them physical security but also secures their financial future. I believe that in Pakistan any person who cannot take revenge by himself or, as a matter of personal choice, does not believe in violence, or does not have the muscle to make the state institutions get him justice should do exactly as the parents of Shahzeb Khan have done: forgive in the name of Allah and be rich.

Pakistan was not created for weak, imbecile and decent individuals, who do not have any family connections in the power corridors. It did not come into being to serve honest and noble people who believe out of their naivety that by following the rule of law they are going to stay safe, or assume if they ever get into trouble the state is going to come to their rescue. It is not going to happen, not any time soon in our country. And the sooner they realise it, the sooner they would find peace. But the peace that they may find, I am sure, is not going to be in Karachi or Lahore. It would instead be in Melbourne, Toronto or New York, countries where their honesty and talent would be appreciated and rewarded justly. Which is why, thousands of families have already left Pakistan to settle permanently in the west, a process of ‘brain drain’ that continues till today and has resulted in the loss of a tremendous amount of talent for Pakistan.

Shahzeb Khan’s family is probably in the process of doing the same. Many reports, although unauthentic and to some extent unreliable, suggest that in a matter of a few weeks, if not days, they will emigrate to Australia, leaving behind the country which, on the one hand, gave them so much in the form of public support after the murder of their son, and on the other, could not ensure the security of the living members of their household including his sisters and first cousins. With their departure, the whole facade of a vigilant civil society that can stand up for the rights of ordinary citizens and provide justice for a middle class family through public pressure will end and the pretence that the presence of a hyperactive media can bring a meaningful change in the fundamental structure of the Pakistani broken legislative system will conclude logically.

Having said that, the real loser in this situation is not only the family of the victim, it is not his father, sisters, cousins, uncles, aunts, or even his mother alone; the ultimate loser is, in fact, Pakistan. First, it failed to protect a brother who tried to do the right thing for standing up to defend his sister’s dignity. Second, it was unable to retain a conscientious family who represented the vulnerable, helpless and educated middle class. Third, it is going to be stuck with the criminal, his family and his clan forever who will now be encouraged even more to disregard the value of human life; and in the end, it was unsuccessful in building the confidence of the people, yet again, in its ability to protect and uphold the rule of law.

From day one, Pakistan was created to serve the interests of the powerful, the rich and resourceful people; people who know how to take their share out of the lion’s den, who could use both religion and money to obtain their objectives, and people who have the audacity to waive the victory sign in public and in front of the camera after being sentenced by the court for committing a crime against the whole humanity. It was supposed to serve only those interconnected families who have a three star general serving in the military on their maternal side, a high ranking police officer or a powerful bureaucrat among their in-laws and a member of the National Assembly on the paternal side. For them, Pakistan is a paradise on earth with unlimited resources at their disposal and unrestrained power in their hands.

Pakistan was sliced out of India in the name of Islam, not to act upon the Divine principles but to exploit them exclusively. We did not want to have anyone else who could poke fun at God’s will while pretending to be obeying His command, and disrespect the principles of the Quran, the laws that were intended to bring peace in society, while acting as if we were following its instructions and ridicule the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH) as blatantly as we do in the name of respecting and observing the Sunnah. We wanted the freedom to practice Islam in its letter and spirit, the religion that was egalitarian in its essence, and just at its core, and the religion that was supposed to protect not only its followers but also its opponents, so that we can make it subservient to the rich and powerful in its own ‘fortress’. That is the real tragedy that we face today after we hand over another victory to the murderers of a young boy.

The writer is a US-based freelance columnist. He tweets at @KaamranHashmi and can be reached at skamranhashmi@gmail.com