Distrust

Pakistan, it seems, is ruled by power – not law. When law is overruled by power, justice becomes difficult to attain. This leads to people losing faith in the country’s justice system, which damages the whole setup. For when people do not trust courts and law-enforcement agencies, they disregard the law. Recently, some cases and their outcomes have made people reluctant to trust the country’s law-enforcement capabilities. These include the recent turn of events of the assault and harassment case against Usman Mirza and his accomplices. There was the Lahore-Sialkot Motorway rape incident, the lynching of the Sri Lankan citizen, Noor Mukadam’s murder and the the case of Shahrukh Jatoi, who managed to get his sentence reduced.

Due to the untimely resolutions of such cases, crime grows unchecked and people lose faith in the state’s ability to curtail it. A number of mafias also reign unfettered. We, as a nation, are standing on the edge of chaos. The current system is no longer able to maintain law and order. It is high time that reforms were introduced in law-enforcement agencies and the judiciary to ensure that there is a reduction of crime in the state.

Shaharyar Rafique

Depalpur