Justice in danger

According to reports, a lawyer has been arrested for allegedly giving a pistol to the teenager accused of gunning down a US citizen in a Peshawar court last month. The 17-year-old arrested for the murder had reportedly said he was handed the gun by the now-incarcerated lawyer. The murdered man, Tahir Ahmad Naseem, was in court for a case related to charges of blasphemy against him, and is said to have been in protective custody. The smuggling of a pistol into a courtroom raises a number of key questions about security at our courts. It is obvious what kind of danger such lapse in security poses, and if lawyers – who are apparently not patted down for security – are not to be trusted inside courtrooms, then we are in truly dangerous times.

According to some media reports, over the last decades scores of murders on similar grounds have taken place. While the police have started taking a slightly stronger stance in the matter, the fact remains that it is extremely easy to bring a blasphemy charge against another individual and by doing so put his/her life at risk. The potency of blasphemy allegations is such that it instantly imperils the accused, as we saw in the case of Mashal Khan. The state has a role to play in ensuring such violent incidents are not repeated. We also need to take a close look at ourselves and how we have allowed intolerance to divide us.

If it is true that politics is downstream from culture, then the only way to reform the law is by first reforming society. If we as a country are serious about tackling militancy and bigotry, this has to be a priority. In all too many cases, mobs are riled up against members of minority communities by unscrupulous elements who want to seize their property or businesses. Laws are weaponised to cower into submission not just minority communities but anyone who dare stand up for their rights. It is long past time for rule of law to be upheld and for the judicial system to show that it treats everyone equally regardless of creed.