Crime and politics

India’s Uzair Baloch, Don Vikas Dubey, the notorious gangster, was killed by the police a few days back apparently in a staged encounter much to the relief of the public and giving solace to the victims’ families. There was one thing in common between Uzair Baloch and Vikas Dubey. Both had political protection. They were pawns in the hands of certain political leaders and were used by them for nefarious purposes. However, Uzair Baloch’s exploits are many and varied. Apart from killing around 200 persons, he was involved in extortion, forcible occupation of houses and land, money laundering etc. He was arrested by the military forces a couple of years ago and was in their custody for several years. In a surprise move, he was handed over to the police about a year ago.

Criminals in this country are raised and nurtured to assist in politicking and amass ill-gotten wealth. The moot point is that the criminal justice system has collapsed in Pakistan and the word ‘justice’ has been obliterated from the dictionary. The constitution has become a worthless document while courts seemed helpless in providing protection of lives and property of its citizens. It is a collective failure of all the institutions and organs of the state. The governing law now is ‘might is right’. All these are powerful pointers of a nation descending into a failed state.

Arif Majeed

Karachi