Pakistan: They could not reach home for Eid

By Naeem Tahir

It is killing, killing and killing everywhere. It is growing into the rule of lawlessness. Would the Supreme Court consider a ‘suo motu’? They had worked hard away from home, they had saved money to share with the family, they had fasted during the holy month of Ramzan and sought the blessings of the Almighty. They boarded the bus, but did not reach home. They were brutally murdered by target killers, who call themselves the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Imagine the grief that the killers caused to the families. Killers absconded for the moment, thanking the ineffective law and order forces for their good luck. The death punishment given to 14 passengers of a bus bound for Punjab was only because they held Punjab-based Identity Cards. They were taken out of the bus, their ID cards were checked, and then they were shot in the head and their bodies abandoned. Two captives were spared because their ID cards were not from Punjab. These two narrated the tale of horror. This is how BLA presumes to succeed in its struggle. The BLA had also destroyed Quaid-e-Azam’s resting place in Ziarat earlier. The BLA is sending this message to the prime minister who hails from Punjab. Is the prime minister getting the message? Can he hear the cries of the children, women and men of the bereaved families? The prime minister, at the time of this brutality, was in Saudi Arabia for his religious obligations. He said his prayers in the Masjid-e-Nabvi. Fine, but what about Haqooq-ul-Ibaad towards his people? He may, on his return, ‘condemn’ this atrocity, but more than a ‘condemnation’ is required. In the absence of the prime minister the team investigating the Nanga Parbat tragedy has also been killed. As I am writing these lines more killings are occurring. From Lyari 11 children will not be home for Eid. These children will be under the dust, killed by a bomb. Their ‘crime’ was only playing football in the field. Mr Azim, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson and an ex-minister in Pervez Musharraf’s time, said in a television programme that it is the interior minister who is responsible for the maintenance of law and order. He said that it is primarily the responsibility of the provinces. It is an amazing statement. Does he mean to say that the prime minister is only an onlooker? Does he mean to say that the prime minister’s main interest is foreign visits with entourages? If he is right then there is little hope for improvement. The prime minister cannot leave critical situations to the ‘second’ in command. Law and order and the lives of nationals are the prime responsibility of the prime minister. It is he who has the responsibility and the authority to activate all relevant segments to perform. The major segments are the provincial governments and their police, constabularies, levies, spy agencies, and finally the armed forces. Their action needs full support from the central government as well as the courts. There are major gaps in coordination and the motivation is lacking. There is a noticeable lack of support from the courts that keep releasing terrorists on the pretext of ‘insufficient evidence’. Even if new laws are to be enforced for ‘evidence’ in such cases, these should be enacted by the Assembly. Terrorists have found the lack of evidence as the most convenient way of getting away. They threaten the judiciary and the investigators, and kill the witnesses who insist on appearing. So there are no convictions and there is freedom from the courts to kill more and more. Even if there are some convictions, the terrorists get their people out of jail by jailbreaks. The Pakistani people expect the prime minister to pay immediate attention to the faulty system. If coordination between secret agencies and the leads provided is required, then such coordination must be ensured. If a force for rapid response is required, then it should be trained, recruited, equipped and deployed. If judges and witnesses are to be protected, then it should be done. Even the establishments of the armed forces are attacked. It is killing, killing and killing everywhere. It is growing into the rule of lawlessness. Would the Supreme Court consider a ‘suo motu’? While the major role is to be played by those who have been entrusted power, it is also true that we, the voters, have to watch if the power is adequately used for the general benefit. The spokespersons for the people are the media. Today the media has an immense responsibility. The run of the mill bickering on the TV talk shows is out of date. It is time that national priorities be in sync with TV programming. Politicians are most concerned about their popularity graph and if they get convinced that if the law and order situation is not appropriately attended to, they can lose their seat of power, then they will be forced to take action. Unfortunately, our elected representatives reach the assemblies without the in-depth study of the issues, including the issue of law and order. There is no short cut for the media persons either. They need to bring responsible politicians to the screen, including the prime minister, and questions about the strategy that is to be evolved must be asked. Keep their commitments on record and follow up on what they do. The media must follow to the point that either a strategy is successfully adopted or the person in charge resigns. It may sound belligerent journalism but what would you prefer? More dead bodies at the time of Eid? More homes destroyed every day? Or some semblance of peace and secure life. Pakistan has been labelled as the most dangerous country to live in. I am sure the sensitive media controllers will take up the experiment to chase the non-performing leadership to the point that they are forced to act constructively. While the responsibility is of the prime minister, the media can convince him to defer foreign excursions and organise an effective anti-terror plan. If he still does not do it then many more dead bodies will be sent home.