Daily Times

After the “score” crossed 600, action was taken. The score is not the English cricket team thrashing the Pakistani team in Old Trafford but 600 innocent children who have disappeared in the last six months in Punjab. Such is the state of apathy in this country. This is an atrocious number of disappearances, and in any law-abiding civilised nation it would be considered a huge human tragedy, as many families must be going through tremendous agony looking for their children. The Chief Justice of Pakistan finally had to issue a suo moto notice to make the government treat this matter as a priority, and the police to take this issue as more than routine. The police, of course, are too busy trying to prove that 96 percent of missing children ran off from their homes due to family conflicts, and only four percent were abducted. This just adds insult to injury, and explains why lawlessness and disorder have become a norm.

Lahore and its surrounding areas have become infested with crimes, but crimes related to minors have become a major issue. Child abuse is rising in alarming numbers. A research compiled by the NGO Sahil shows shocking statistics. The report “Cruel Numbers 2015” on child sexual abuse puts the total number of cases at 3,768, showing an increase of seven percent as compared to 3,508 cases recorded in 2014. In 2016, Cruel Numbers 2015 has been compiled from 84 national, regional and local newspapers, including seven cases that were directly reported to Sahil. The report shows that out of the total number of cases, 52 percent (1,974) were girls, and 48 percent (1,794) were boys. This means that the actual number that does not reach media or the police may be three times higher. Even with these numbers it is shameful to know that over 10 children are abused every day.

It is only recently that this ongoing horror has come in media limelight. In August 2015, the Kasur child abuse case sent shock waves across Pakistan. Cases of 284 children were reported, and 400 videos of child sexual abuse came to light. A gang of 24 criminals was discovered; these people not only abused children but also blackmailed their parents to give money for keeping the videos out of public viewing. The Punjab law minister, Rana Sanaullah, and the police were even at that point focused on proving that the numbers were incorrect. The media highlighted how some MNAs and police officers were protecting the criminals. Despite the uproar last year it seems neither abuse incidents nor the police have changed at all.

Protection of people and especially children is why the police exist, but like everything else, protection of life and investigation of crimes have become a five-star service. While the special police force is busy protecting VIPs and their families, the poor and their children are treated worse than criminals in police stations. The recent case of two children, Zain and Umair, is horrific. Zain’s father, Anis, a resident of Bhagat Pura, went to file a case of when his son did not return home after being sent to buy vegetables. The police did not register the case, and said that Zain had just run away from his home. A week ago, one of the missing children was found dead, stuffed in a plastic bag in Badami Bagh.

The body was identified as Muhammad Umair, son of Shabbir Ahmed. Investigators say that Umair was sexually assaulted before being mercilessly killed. Imagine the life of a parent not knowing where his child is, being dismissed by the local police, and then finding his son’s body in that state.

Why are the police so reluctant to even file a case of child abduction? Is it due to bribe-payoff system that is attached to cases that involve monetary and land disputes? The two parties who are under investigation for, say, land confiscation are both going to be approaching the police for settling the case out of court. The alacrity with which the police register these cases far outweighs cases of murder and abduction where the chances of payoff especially from poor people are minimum. That is why getting an FIR registered is such a big hassle, and getting the culprits apprehended an almost impossible achievement in cases filed by the poor and the ignorant. While the police is busy defending the numbers, the news about these children being used for organ sale is making the whole issue much more serious and bigger than just a callous mathematical correction.

While it took the Rangers to take charge of law enforcement in Karachi and stem the menace of killings and abductions, a similar step may be needed in Punjab. The Chhotu gang incident was the biggest revelation of the capacity and will power of our special police, and, finally Rangers had to come in to not only catch the gang but also rescue our police who had been kidnapped by the gang. Are the Rangers more intelligent, more trained, more capable than the police? Not at all. The police force has produced some outstanding officers in the past, and there are still many capable people serving in the police. The problem remains of politicisation and merit.

In the recent complaint filed in the Supreme Court by an applicant, the Inspector General (IG) of Punjab revealed the state of injustice in this department. The Supreme Court had issued orders in 2013 that all out-of-turn promotions must be withdrawn. The IG Punjab admitted that there were 10,884 officers who were given out-of-turn promotions but they had been withdrawn. Meanwhile, the aggrieved police officers have filed a case saying they are still waiting for justice.

If we take into account the damage done by such promotions and transfers, it would be much more than just financial corruption. One bad officer will bring in many more. A police station run by these cronies becomes a crime centre. As the father of an abducted child said, “ The real crime is poverty; when we talk to the police they humiliate us. If we were big people like the Chief Justice of Sindh, we would also have hope of finding our children”.

The writer is a columnist and analyst and can be reached at andleeb.abbas1@gmail.com