Daily Times

What happened at the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), Lahore earlier this week cannot be condemned in mere words. The legal community should hang its head in shame for the despicable acts of violence and cold-blooded murders of three ailing patients committed in broad daylight.

Instead of finding the root cause of this single incident, deep introspections are required to reflect our actions as a society. Mob mentality has gradually seeped through the masses who are unwittingly walking into traps set by those who wish nothing but unbridled chaos.

Unsurprisingly, the bar councils chose to be on the wrong side of history since they are just an extension of political parties and groups with vested interests who protect wolves in sheep clothing. This has been the case for decades and it only exacerbated after the infamous lawyers’ movement held over a decade ago. That movement resulted in nothing but misery for the legal fraternity since some lawyers began to consider themselves demigods.

While the intentions of the movement seemed noble, its long-term effects crushed the profession’s valued stature. Perhaps, Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa isn’t wrong when he recently claimed that the standard of lawyers is declining across the country. Semi-educated people simply buy their law degrees and consider the profession as a quick money-making business. Not realising that their conduct goes against the very ethos of morality and justice.

When lawyers become lawless, other professions would follow suit and act in a similar manner. In this showdown between lawyers and doctors, it’s the general public that ultimately paid the price. The unspeakable actions of vultures masquerading as members of the legal fraternity require nothing but swift action from the state.

While it is heartening to know that the state has filed two First Information Reports (FIRs) and arrested 46 of these ‘protesting lawyers’ under terrorism and murder charges; it’s still inadequate unless they’re all put on trial and brought to justice with severe punishment.

In the past, judges felt threatened from these vultures and the state must ensure that the trials are conducted impartially without any external influences.

It is indeed a sad state of affairs when one of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nephews, Hassan Niazi, goes on subtly defending the ‘protest’ and deflecting the blame on doctors and the Punjab government over twitter (of course, while trying to act oblivious).

His conduct became shady by the very same evening when it emerged that he was part of the mob damaging government property and gleefully taking pictures with those responsible for sieging the hospital. A place which cannot be touched even during a state of war under Customary International Humanitarian Law (IHL).On social media, he was spreading messages of ‘restraint and peace’ while in reality, fuelled the fire on the ground.

This strongly indicated that he had some sort of a personal score to settle with the provincial government.

It is pertinent to point out that his unbecoming conduct isn’t something new since he used to act in a similar manner while studying in London several years ago. On multiple occasions during his time in London, his actions resembled that of an anarchist. Not mentioning that in winter 2014, he was briefly detained twice by the London Metropolitan Police for misbehaving with Pakistani politicians, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

His only fame as a lawyer is Khadija Siddiqui’s stabbing case and she too has condemned him for his hypocritic behaviour over the PIC incident.

The state must ensure that people like Niazi are brought to justice without any political hindrances. This is what PM Khan repeatedly promised in his manifesto and speeches, with well-wishers of the government asking for the same universally.

Letting the vulturous mob running amok in black coats go without any concrete actions taken would be a travesty of justice. The courts and the state must work jointly to ensure that relief is provided to victims of PIC incident.

Justice delayed would truly be justice denied while people would continue taking matters into their own hands if the courts of law fail in their duties.

Notably, it is high time that judicial and police reforms promised by the PTI government be fast-tracked for the state’s best interest in a meaningful manner. Not long ago, the elder Sharif managed to get relief to travel abroad despite being a convicted felon. An unforgiveable mockery of justice.

The writer is a journalist specialising in foreign policy and national security affairs