In a landmark bill being hailed as a much-awaited win for human rights, the Senate finally put its foot down on custodial violence and death. By declaring every punishable offence as “non-compoundable and non-bailable,” the august house has slapped a rightly-deserved fine and mandatory sentence on any transgressing public servant. It is gratifying to finally see the state realise that the change we need cannot come from violence whatsoever. PPP Senator deserves a gold star for her exemplary initiative, but so does Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari. By extending support to a bill bu opposition benches, she has given a befitting reply to last month’s ruckus raised on progressive bills vanishing into a “black hole.” The fact that human rights supersede all demarcations along party lines cannot be stressed enough. And there could not be a more shining example of this unity than the sight of two champions of civil liberties putting their heads together for the welfare of ordinary Pakistanis. Yes, the fascinating notion of Naya Pakistan (and a spokesperson’s commitment to can police torture soon afterwards) had everyone waiting with bated breath. But well, it’s always better to join the right side if your side isn’t doing right. Still, there would be no point in celebrating triumphs on paper if the ground realities don’t change anytime soon. Because of no specific law on the criminalisation of custodial torture, Pakistani police has been gladly pushing countless men, women and even children into the dark alleys for decades. Just last year, a video of policemen torturing and stripping a man in their custody made rounds on social media. This is just the tip of the iceberg. For we have been dismally shattering everything dictated by our constitution (Article 14 (2) and 10), internationally-binding agreements (UN Convention Against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and even basic norms of civility without any hesitation. Such is the state of our apathy that ground-breaking reports by the National Commission on Human Rights continue to go unnoticed. The blots on our entire criminal justice system are not even considered worthy of a moment’s deliberation let alone national uproar. Does anyone still remember how a sessions judge found a 12-year-old boy languishing in an adult detention cell in Larkana; weighed down by chains probably heavier than himself? Against the backdrop of innumerable bills biting the dust in the secluded cabinets of the National Assembly, the recent attempt to mitigate a long-drawn-out lacuna is no small feat. Yet, the real success would come when extensive police reforms make our institutions of justice a highly sought-after refuge for everyone, not a place to keep one’s distance from. We’ve been waiting for a miraculous crusade for far too long, Mr Prime Minister. It can only be hoped that this time, Islamabad would move beyond mere rhetoric and actually get the job done. *