Disturbing reality

Yet another chilling reminder of the dangerous path Pakistan finds itself on presented itself on Thursday when a man accused of blasphemy was shot dead in police custody at the Cantonment Police Station in Quetta. The shooter? A policeman. The story is similar: the deceased was accused of having committed a blasphemous act, he was taken into custody by the police, and a mob then gathered around the police station. But then the story shifts from the similar to something even scarier: a member of the police force, an institution tasked with upholding the law, took it upon himself to act as judge, jury, and executioner -- and shot the accused.

When those responsible for upholding the law become vigilantes, the foundation of justice crumbles. Due process is not just a legal formality; it is the cornerstone of any fair and just society. Every accused person, regardless of the crime, deserves a fair trial and it is courts, not individuals, that are supposed to determine guilt or innocence based on evidence. Only the legal system has the authority to decide punishment -- not a mob, and certainly not a rogue officer. In the case at hand, the decision to move the accused to a more secure location at the police station was appropriate but the fact that a police officer killed him after this transfer highlights a deep failure in how law-enforcement personnel are trained to handle such sensitive situations. The officer responsible has been arrested, and an investigation is underway but the unfortunate fact is that mob violence, especially in cases involving allegations of blasphemy, is an all-too-common occurrence in Pakistan -- part of a disturbing trend that shows no signs of slowing down. And now we have individual law-enforcement individuals also perhaps taking the law into their hands. Vigilantism is anarchy, plain and simple and Pakistan, with its deep divisions and history of religious intolerance, teeters on the edge of this chaos all too often.

Moving past this problem will not be easy. The state must play its role as the final arbiter in all accusations, ensuring that justice is served through the courts. This is not just about law enforcement but about healing the wounds opened by decades of intolerance and communal strife. Beyond immediate responses to such incidents, a sustained national effort is needed to uphold the principles of justice and protect rule of law. Law enforcement must be re-trained, communities must be educated, and the state must firmly reject all forms of vigilantism -- especially within its own ranks. Only then can we hope to rebuild public trust and restore confidence in the legal system. The road to justice must be paved with due process, respect for the law, and a commitment to protect every citizen, regardless of the accusations they face. Anything less risks pushing Pakistan further into the abyss of anarchy.