A recent news report on the website of a newspaper saddened me when I saw a young boy giving his final exams with handcuffs accompanied by two policemen.
The 13-year-old boy, named Tayyab from Vehari was accused of stealing things from a landlords place that included wooden furniture and stove etc. According to the boy he couldnt lift the things then how could he steal them. The boy is a grade nine student and had to appear in his final exams. He said he begged the policemen to take him to the exam centre because he didnt want to waste one important year of his education. According to his parents, the boy is a hard working student. The police officials kept the boy handcuffed while he was writing which according to the boy was embarrassing for him.
Whether or not the allegations on the boy are right or wrong, he should have been allowed to sit in the exam like other students.
It is important to educate and sensitize the police so that they can act more responsibly. This incident clearly points towards the apathy of police officials towards the boy and his education. If only they had been well trained and educated, they would have known how the boy felt. According to a survey, there is an education emergency in Pakistan, so we cannot afford to discourage those who are struggling to get educated.
ZAINAB ALI
Islamabad