No justice for Jokhio?

Absconder in the Nazim Jokhio murder case, PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim, has been granted a 10-day bail by the Sindh High Court which will enable him to take part in the voting on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly on Sunday. This comes just a day after Nazim Jokhio’s wife recorded a video statement saying she had decided to forgive the killers, not because she had been offered any money, but because she had no support from relatives and was concerned for her children. Lest we forget, Nazim Jokhio’s body was found on Nov 3, 2021 at a farmhouse in Malir Karachi as a result of torture while in alleged illegal detention at a farmhouse reportedly owned by PPP MPA Jam Awais, PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim’s brother. According to reports, the culprits were enraged at Jokhio’s attempts to prevent the hunting of the Houbara bustard in Thatta. Those involved in the hunt were said to be the guests of the accused. Nazim Jokhio had recorded a video of the hunting party and released it on social media.

What we see here is a very familiar pattern. Again and again, the wealthy overcome the poor through the use of influence, power, threats and money. In the 21st century, such impunity should have become a relic of the past. Unfortunately, it is still prevalent in Pakistan. In this case, it is outrageous that the PPP – which claims to be a progressive party – chose to turn a blind eye to their MNA’s alleged involvement in a murder case and cynically decided to prioritize his vote for the vote of no-confidence over justice for a dead man. Encouragingly, the lawyer representing the main complainant in the case, Afzal Jokhio – the deceased’s brother – has said that Nazim Jokhio’s wife’s pardon amounts to little legally.

This shocking yet totally predictable turn of events has given rise to some important questions that have been raised time after time. Why is it so easy for the powerful to escape the long – in our case, terribly short – arms of the law? The accused’s return at a time when the opposition parties desperately need ‘the right numbers’ for a politically important vote of no-confidence highlights that in our country, powerful culprits are barely held accountable and all their mistakes or crimes are ‘forgiven’ as long as they are important in the larger power game. We repeat once again: the state ought to ensure that in such cases, victims, who usually are not financially or socially strong, are given protection so that they are not under any coercion to pardon culprits.