Fight the power

The values of liberty, equality and fraternity that were espoused after the French Revolution are the foundation of a society that won’t differentiate on the basis of class, colour or creed. But, unfortunately, our Pakistani society is deeply plagued with the social malady of class differentiation. The menace of VIP culture is deeply entrenched in our society. Recently, a prominent human rights activist, M Jibran Nasir, was seen at the receiving end of this malice.

He was roughed up by the protocol squad of a judge. The man who always rallies for the rights of others was seen desperately waiting for his rights to be acknowledged. It is tragic that no steps have been taken to fight against this VIP culture.

Tarique Ahmed Abro

Hyderabad

*****

The fact that a high court judge had an ordinary citizen taken into custody for not leaving adequate space for his taxpayer-funded cavalcade speaks volumes about how ordinary citizens are treated in Pakistan. What happened on the streets of Karachi on the evening of Monday (July 2) was deplorable. An ordinary citizen was beaten by a judge’s police guards; his clothes were torn and he was dragged and dumped in a taxpayer-funded vehicle and taken to a taxpayer-funded police station. Nothing has been down to fight against this entitlement attitude.

A small group of dynastic families are ruling over the 99 percent ordinary citizens of Pakistan. The state has fractured the backbone of ordinary citizens by diverting their tax money to protect the class which is living in its own entitled block. Who has given the authority to these people to humiliate ordinary citizens. It is time ordinary citizens demanded the withdrawal of all policemen and mobile vehicles protecting the ruling class. The authorities concerned should not turn a blind eye towards this matter.

Naeem Sadiq

Karachi