Together we cry

My heart bleeds and I feel ashamed of being a part of a society where a seven-year child is not safe. Words cannot describe the pain we went through after reading about what happened to innocent Zainab in Kasur. What is more shocking is the fact that such incidents happen on a regular basis. Young children are kidnapped and brutally raped – this often results in their death. Their body is often found in a garbage heap or in a running stream. Hundreds of Zainabs are being raped and brutally murdered.

We humans have lost our humanity and have become brutal than animals. We are a hopeless nation and we will not take a step to bring the much-needed change to our country. We will not play our part in urging the authorities to take immediate action against the culprits. No, we will not.

Farooque Panhwar

Sukkur

*****

Zainab’s murder has left the entire nation in the state of mourning. However the question remains: is it the first time that such a heinous crime has been committed against an innocent girl? If you know the answer, you’d know how uncivilised we have become. The brutal killing of Zainab is another number in the series of shameful incidents which are taking place across the country. It is another blow to our entire criminal justice system. It also highlights how our silence has led to the occurrence of such horrific incidents. Where were we when the Kasur child abuse scandal surfaced? Why did we not question the authorities regarding the fate of culprits? For a long time, children in Kasur were being used by the men in power. But we didn’t raise our voices. We lived in comfortable silence in our small world. Our hearts didn’t go out for those children.

The strong reaction that follows such incidents is nothing new. For a few days, we will mourn for her loss, few public properties will be torched and some protesters will block roads and protest against this gruesome act. However after a week or even before that, everything will die down. People will get something new to write a post on. With time, we will forget about Zainab. We will forget about the pain her parents suffered. We will forget that Zainab’s rapist and murderer is roaming the streets of Kasur. If we want to fight the evil, we have to find its root cause so that this social problem can be eradicated from Pakistani soil. Strict actions must be taken against the culprits. They should be given exemplary punishments so that no one gathers the courage to do something like this again.

Muhammad Waqas Haral

Chiniot

*****

It was the twelfth case of Kasur involving the rape of a young child. The number of rape cases in our country is growing at a fast pace. It is a sad truth that the authorities have failed to take steps to tackle the growing incidents of sexual violence. Angry protesters took to street and called out the government for its inability to deal with such crimes.

Our children are living in an unsafe environment. Zainab’s rapist should be given harsh punishment. The authorities have CCTV footage. They should speed up the process and catch the culprit at the earliest.

M Aslam Nasar