No strangers to extra-judicial killing, the Rangers. Or, for that matter, any of the armed forces in the country, military or otherwise. What sets the latest incident of extra-judicial killing in Karachi apart was merely the fact that it was caught on tape. Clearly, the Rangers’ version, that young Sarfaraz, 17, was killed in an armed encounter, is false. He was, in fact, pleading for his life when the gun-toting muscle-head shot him.
Now, this is in no way to imply that the deceased was not a robber, as the Rangers claim. But the stark deviation from professionalism that was shown in the video merits, nay, begs reform in the organisation. There are two likelihoods in this situation. One, that the personnel who shot him were sadistically trigger-happy and felt they were above the law. Second, that they actually felt threatened and genuinely thought that the victim was indeed lunging for one of their rifles, as they claimed. Both of these scenarios present a bleak image of a fighting force constantly sold to the public as some sort of ubercops as opposed to the sloppy and hapless boys in charcoal.
Be it Karachi, Balochistan or the tribal areas, the state has not maintained its monopoly over the use of violence. This monopoly is difficult to regain and then maintain. Because, as opposed to non-state actors, the state has to work within certain rules. It is not the Rangers, or the Punjab Police, or the FC that have to have said monopoly, but the Republic and its constitution. The criminal procedure code is clearly laid down in the sacred text.
On a different, yet related note. The Army, the Air Force, the Navy, the Frontier Corps, the Rangers. Over the course of a month, the professionalism of all of these has been put into question. It is hoped that, at least by way of face saving, someone, somewhere, is thinking of a measure of visible reform. A start, of course, would be strict disciplinary action against the officials involved, not just in the Karachi incident but also the Kharotabad bloodfest. Justice should be seen to be done.