Daily Times

The rich Pakistani elite think of themselves as a special gift of the Lord, and to pass on this evolutionary fortune, they breed a bunch of utterly spoiled, arrogant and conceited species, best described as the ‘killer brats’. Some well reported incidents may be recalled to put their activities in perspective.

On Sunday after an 18-year-old student Zafir, driving a Mercedes in Karachi, hit a motorcyclist and failed to stop, he was chased and ruthlessly gunned down by the armed supporters of the motorcyclists who had reached the scene after hearing about the accident. The rich killers were driving a jeep whose tax had not been paid since June 2004. The police failed to add the anti-terror clause in the FIR. In a similar incident in 2015, Mustafa Kanjoo, son of a former foreign minister had gunned down a 15-year-old boy following a minor road accident.

In May 2017, Asif Sikandar, son of a former Sindh local government Secretary, while driving an unregistered car AFR 2017, crushed to death a motorcyclist in Clifton. In October 2014, guards escorting Abdul Qadir, son of former prime minister Gilani, shot dead a motorcyclist for his failure to make way for Gilani’s squad. Also in 2014, a young student Suleman Lashari was killed by the son of a police SSP who raided Lashari’s DHA residence along with five policemen using official weapons. Shahrukh Jatoi’s incident of killing Shahzeb, son of a police DSP over a minor personal dispute is known to all. Sadly, a recent Sindh High Court judgment revoked the death penalty awarded to Shahrukh and removed the anti terrorist clauses. The Qisas law could now come handy to negotiate an early release.

There is a clear pattern in all these unfortunate incidents. Invariably they are committed by the spoiled brats of the rich, powerful and irresponsible parents. They are the result of petty disputes and personal egos. Invariably they involve fake, illegal or non-tax paid vehicles. Often the weapons used are unregistered, while the killers are protected by an Elite Protection System that functions to bail out or buy out justice for these criminals. The police obliges by omitting the anti-terror clauses, hospitals provides erroneous autopsy reports, medical boards make it look like the accused was underage at the time of the crime and the courts fail to provide justice to the victims. Finally the Qisas law working in tandem with money and pressure helps these criminals walk as free men.

It is a well known fact that anyone in Pakistan can acquire a prohibited bore weapon and purchase a gun licence if he is willing to pay the price. Counterfeit gun licenses, including computerised (NADRA look-alikes) are made with help of delinquent government officials and openly sold in market

It is a well known fact that anyone in Pakistan can acquire a prohibited bore weapon and purchase a gun license if he is willing to pay the price. Fake gun licenses, including computerised (NADRA look-alikes) are fabricated with the help of delinquent government officials and openly sold in market. One can also safely say that the government itself operates a fake gun licensing system as it issues gun licenses without a single mandatory verification or test with no requirement for a training session, attending a shooting range, passing a written test, undergoing mental evaluation, drug tests or background checks. In fact the only criterion to obtain a gun license is status, power, influence or bribe.

Despite National Action Plan, the much advocated Radd-ul-Fassad and scores of promises, the government has not taken a single step to curb the prevailing gun culture in the country. The state has failed to stop the uncontrolled proliferation of guns, a completely fake gun licensing system, thousands of unconstitutional private militias and the misuse of the Qisas law. This has resulted in creation of a system where the ordinary citizens live in an environment of fear, insecurity and constant vulnerability to the anger and the ego of the militant elite. On the contrary, the rich and the powerful are protected by the safety net of the Elite Protection System, that literally allows them to get away with murder.

All this is not likely to change unless the ordinary citizens come together and think of creative ways to dismantle the entrenched Elite Protection System. At an institutional level, instead of calling the army to control armed mobs, it may be wiser to proactively task them to take charge of a comprehensive nationwide de-weaponisation program.

The writer is a consultant in the field of occupational health and safety. While his areas of interest include reforms, environment and de-weaponisation, he is also a freelance op-ed columnist

Published in Daily Times, December 7^th 2017.