The slogans are there and they are all very alluring, but justice delivery cannot be seen anywhere in Pakistan, although Tehreek-i-Insaaf laid its foundation on the principles of Justice.
It has been three years now and the nation awaits the magic wand, which was promised to cure all ills, but on the contrary, the magic wand is nowhere to be found and all prevailing problems have multiplied manifolds. Prime Minister Imran Khan time and again say many things that are taken as a ray of hope but the words stay just words, and hopes dwindle as words evaporate in thin air. It is being reported that Prime Minister Imran Khan took a briefing from the Attorney General of Pakistan, Khalid Javed, over the prevailing justice system and obstacles that are a hindrance in imparting free and speedy justice.
The police and the unjust judicial system are the main culprits.
Prime Minister has directed the Attorney General to make efforts in removing the hitches in the justice system, but surprisingly no time frame was given as how long will it take. The Justice system in Pakistan on the international index has placed the country very lowly at 118 out of 128 countries, while Nepal is at 61 followed by Sri Lanka at 66 and India standing at 69. It is no secret that in Pakistan the law works differently for the rich, and the poor. The highly covered cases by the media, mostly open and shut cases, still await the lingering justice to be served. To name a few is the Model Town and Sahiwal incident, the Naqeebullah murder case, Usama Satti murder case, Abdul Majeed Achakzai, Shah Rukh Jatoi, and the list goes on and on. This fact also highlights the saying that justice delayed is justice denied. The people have lost their trust in the judicial system of Pakistan, and the reason we see the abundant number of murders and the killings by the common man is the fact that justice remains absent.
The newly appointed Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court ensured the release of a person who was given life imprisonment by the lower court. Does that Chief Justice not possess any heart for the people who are rotting in jails for the crimes they never committed.
Many cases make headlines in which the person has spent more years in jail for the crime he never committed. The police and the unjust judicial system are the main culprits. Mostly, the police is either corrupt, or incapable. It switches sides and often the aggrieved party faces jail owing to the scenario which is carefully webbed for trapping them in. The commoners’ cases, especially in terms of disputed land, have spanned over decades, and when the decision is announced, most of the complainants are six feet under the graveyard and their second generation represents them in the court. Justice delayed is justice denied is the axiom that rules in the judicial system of Pakistan, therefore, the public in its quest for justice resorts to violence and takes law into its own hands. Everyday news about violence and crime circulates in the media and shake up the entire society, but does not dare to mess up with the conscience of the authorities in charge.
The writer is a social activist based in Islamabad.