Justice be seen to be done in Kasur

Head of the PPP Media Cell
Hearts of all people go out to the parents whose children have been subject to sexual abuse and thereafter unabated blackmail by perpetrators in Hussain Khanwala village of district Kasur. It is located in the vicinity of Lahore, the provincial capital. But, the brave children and their respectable parents have blown the whistle. It will and should lead in saving thousands of children right across the country if the government makes the culprits a horrible example for committing a heinous crime. The children and parents deserve appreciations who broke the silence caring less of the social stigma. The media reports suggest more parents and children are approaching the police with the similar cases in order to bring the culprits to justice. Earlier, their silence due to the social stigma was instrumental to more child abuses, almost with impunity. The children and parents of Hussain Khanwala should be honoured for spearheading a great step to nip the evil.
The perpetrators are a gang consisting more than dozen people who have been allegedly involved in this heinous crime of devastating the lives of the poor souls for the last many years. The victim children after having attained adulthood have been facing the trauma with intolerable intensity. Most of them have left the schools and their village because of the haunt of unabated embarrassment. The perpetrators have been blackmailing the parents of the victims to extort money besides shamefully selling the videos of the crime within and without with no sense of remorse. The affected parties are naturally embarrassed, outraged and are finding it difficult to cope with the aftermaths. Perpetrators reportedly have the support of powerful people both elected and mandarins of the area. They disgracefully tried to trivialise the nature of the crime by projecting it as common phenomena throughout the country. Their sense of righteousness is bankrupt to the hilt indeed. Their becoming the party strengthens the perception of their collusion with the criminals.
The crime would have been remained under the carpet for many years to come if the villager’s outburst based on desperation had not culminated in protest against the evildoers. The police, contemptibly, tried to cover up through the use of blatant force against the protesting villagers. But, the electronic media scuttled the design as it flashed the protest and the crime alike, triggering a spat of debate at all forums. The Law Minister Sanaullha of the Punjab government tried to play down the matter by asserting the whole saga had the background of property issue. His shoving aside the criminal and moral issues willfully was utterly despicable. Also, the timing of his statement aggravated the situation against the administration. His pre-mature and incongruous advocacy on the sensitive issue was uncalled for. He should have been better advised to exercise restraint because his unguarded comments had not helped the cause he had in his mind. Punjab government has been facing ignominy since the surfacing of dreadful crime and law minister’s articulation caused more eggs on provincial government’s face.
In the Geo TV Programme “Capital Talk” on August 10, the participants, for and against, gave the version through the prism of their own perspective. The local lawyer alleged that the heinous crime had been continuing for the last many years and police knew it but it did not take action, supposedly, under the pressure of those who were elected from there during the last eight to ten years. The local MNA of PML-N was defending the police by asserting that police registered FIRs when victims’ relatives came to the police in May this year. The lawyer was of the view that the police instead of dealing with the case on merit had been trying to play the role of a mediator, ostensibly, on the behest of the mafia that was aware of the consequences if it was brought in the court of law. He seemed right because police there did not want the issue to be blown up for its own compelling reasons as it was allegedly hand in glove in order to get its pound of flesh. The lawyer substantiated his claim by arguing that police tortured the complainant party’s member and then forced him to telephone the local MPA to help him in order to settle the dispute. The mala fides of the police was obvious from its handling, he asserted. Police is not there to mediate but to proceed according to the law when complaint is lodged by the citizens seeking justice against the highhandedness of others. Mediation may be the way out but the police must not impose it. This course of actions is normally practiced by the police after milking both the parties.
In the programme, Hamid Mir’s disclosures sent the cold wave down the spine of all viewers when he said that Rawalpindi tops the list followed by Lahore of ten cities of Pakistan those are notorious for child abuse. The representative of NGO divulged that lately the number of child abuse cases have registered a veritable surge in Kasur during this year. The districts located in the vicinity of Kasur, like Okara and Pakpattan, are also among the ten cities where child abuse is at the rampant. These terrifying disclosures are mind-blowing. These clearly imply the governance issues and discriminatory application of law have taken toll in all walks of national life. Corruption, fraud, manipulation, extortion, target killing, kidnapping, child abuse etc. are the manifestations of the same— the absence of the rule of law. In this country, the English proverb exemplifies the situation correctly, ‘you show me the man I will show you the law’. The whole system is heavily weighted against the poor and common people and pro-elite. But, elite must understand now their days are numbered and they must share their fortunes with the children of lesser gods failing which their patience will run out sooner than later against them with vengeance.
This case of children abuse should be taken very seriously by the government due to its grave ramifications on the younger generation of the country. The victims of Kasur have appreciably exhibited unprecedented courage and now the lawmakers and the government should huddle together to evolve a legal and judicial framework to address gargantuan problem holistically. The elected forums have expressed their resolve to take up the matter on urgent basis to ensure the safety and security of the children of the nation. The government should legislate to award measurable punishments to the culprits keeping in mind that too harsh punishments may put the potential victims’ life at great danger because he will prefer to kill the victim to eliminate the evidence that may be used against him in the court proceedings. It is a delicate matter and therefore should be dealt with utmost care in the largest interest of children. The judiciary may be required to dispose of such cases summarily. The police should keep vigil on such elements and take pre-emptive measures before the evil strikes. The Special Branch of the Punjab government should play its role in this regard because it has the wherewithal to detect such criminal activity much earlier. It failed miserably in Kasur. It must not be taken lightly because its proliferation has the potential to tear off the social and moral fabric of the society.
The case of children abuse in hand must be followed through to award exemplary punishment to the perpetrators so that the potential criminals see their redemption in not engaging themselves in such activities. It is good that the Punjab government has constituted a JIT in consultation with the villagers to investigate the case without fear or favour. The investigation should cover all aspects professionally and make out the case in such a manner leading to the conviction of the criminals. The evidence presented in the court should be irrefutable that could stand the witness box. Justice not only be done but be seen to be done. It is pretty important.
It is equally important that the government should arrange free education for the victims in the educational institutions located in other urban centers. They should be provided jobs after the completion of their education because the resultant economic security will help them in their total rehabilitation to lead life with honour and dignity. Their pushing at the mercy of the circumstance will definitely embolden the inclination in them to take revenge from the society or resort to total withdrawal, may be ending in committing suicide. Both scenarios are appalling for the social order and therefore the government must take up this issue with requisite seriousness because future of nation’s children is at stake.
muhammadshaheedi@yahoo.com