After a two-week manhunt by law-enforcement authorities, the Punjab government believes it has finally tracked the man believed to be the rapist and killer of seven-year-old Zainab and many others. DNA testing is being reported to have proved beyond any doubt that Mohammed Imran is indeed the man who committed the heinous crimes. Now that he is in custody, it is time for the judicial process to take over. It is much easier to address press conferences than building airtight cases, and our history of prosecuting criminals and suspected criminals is far from perfect. This is an opportunity to show that the system works. At this time, politicians and law-enforcement officials should also refrain from doing a lap of honour. The fact is that rape is alarmingly common in Pakistan and the police have often been accused of victim-blaming and a lack of interest in tracking down victimisers. Even in Zainab’s case, the initial response by the police left much to be desired. She was missing for days before any action was taken, even though she wasn’t the first target. The suspect had been raping and murdering children for long. Even with CCTV footage of Zainab being lured away by her killer, it still took over two weeks to identify him. It would not be too cynical to suggest that the reason the state apparatus was effectively mobilised to track down Zainab’s killer was because the case drew so much public and media attention. The response seen after the agitation over the crime should be the norm in all such cases. More than two years have passed since the horrifying story of hundreds of children who were ensnared in a child pornography ring in Kasur but no one was convicted of the crime.
It is also telling that DNA testing played such a central part in identifying the suspect as this form of forensic science has previously been opposed by the Council of Islamic Ideology in rape cases. The police also need to ensure that there are rape kits present at every station and that police personnel are trained in how to handle rape cases in a sensitive manner. At trial, we need to ensure that all evidence is untainted and that the cases are dealt with in a speedy and fair manner. That, rather than indulging our bloodlust, is the only way to provide justice to victims of rape.
The one thing we must avoid is encouraging attitudes conducive to trial by mob. There are already alarming signs we may be heading in that direction. According to reports, the Senate Standing Committee on the Interior has proposed an amendment to the penal code which would call for the public hanging of anyone convicted of sexually abusing or murdering a minor. It is astonishing how our lawmakers and politicians, having failed to ensure protection of life and liberty to young and old alike, prove themselves to be so utterly incapable of dealing with even the aftermath of crimes inflicted on vulnerable victims. Are they really ignorant of the fact that the amendment proposed only reflects their willingness to be reduced to a level of existence that the realm of law has risen far above in the preceding centuries? Death, lynching and dead bodies have already become common spectacles in this country. Will those who represent us in the assemblies spare us the shocking shame of being ‘legally’ reduced to organising spectacles of death that can only satisfy our base instincts and brutalise this society even further? Instead of such legislation, the focus should be on reforming our investigative and judicial systems. This is something a bit more difficult to do perhaps because doing so means stepping on many beneficial toes and challenging a system based on patronage and protection of criminals and crimes. Far more convenient it is to arouse the savage in the rest of society. Make no mistake about it. This will not prevent crimes against the Zainabs of this country. This will only make them – and all our young and all our adults – more vulnerable. This is not the way that those who rule this country should beg forgiveness from Zainab.