As the heavens cry

A woman was robbed and raped by criminals in front of her children near Gujjarpura, Lahore. What can be worse than this? Does anybody in power realise the lifelong impact this gory incident would have on the woman and her children? Once the faith and confidence of citizens is shattered, it can lead to chaos.

All state institutions are here to serve and protect the people, not to stand by and see them suffer.

Malik T Ali

Lahore

*****

The motorway incident happened just a few days after a five-year-old girl from Karachi was raped and murdered. Such heinous crimes are rising rapidly in our country. These incidents show how unsafe our women and children are in Pakistan. Why our government has failed to address this serious issue?

In our country, most cases go unreported and culprits remain unpunished. There must be the public hanging of rapists so that everyone knows the consequences of such vicious crimes.

Bakhtawar Bijarani

Shikarpur

*****

Many people are asking for the public hanging of the culprits. Two years ago, Zainab’s murderer was hanged. But has that put an end to child sexual abuse? Death penalty is not an answer and only absolves the government of its responsibility to protect women and children.

Such incidents demand an end to a culture that encourages impunity. Calls for public hangings only depict the male fantasies of violent revenge. To end abuse against women, it is important to address concerns raised by women.

Abdullah Zahid

Karachi

*****

Rapists are roaming freely under the nose of the authorities that don’t take strict action against them. The reason why such cases are more frequent in our country is our weak justice system.

The authorities concerned should work to make Pakistan a safe space for all women.

Arzish Khan Pathan

Sukkur

*****

The recent horrible incident shows that the government’s claims to bring reforms in police culture and provide maximum security to the people were hollow. It is surprising to note that before the inauguration of this new motorway, the authorities didn’t deploy police officials for the security of commuters.

The PM must take strict action against the relevant department to avoid such crimes in the future.

Engr Asim Nawab

Islamabad