Is it, really?
If the murder of a sitting governor of the country’s largest province, that too in the federal capital, was a manifestation of the crumbling structure of the state, the pronouncement of a death sentence to his assailant is a small step in the other direction.
Is it even that, though? With as open-and-shut a case as the murder, with many witnesses and a confession by the killer himself, the state could not have backed away in fear even if it had wanted to. Yet, in a comment on how bad things have actually gotten, even this small step is a victory for the state in its own right. The anti-terror court judge who had pronounced the verdict, is now receiving death threats from militant groups. It has, therefore, become an act of courage for the judiciary to perform even those aspects of their duty that are more clerical and procedural rather than actual adjudication.
With these threats to our judges, do we ever expect justice in cases that involve these militant groups and, perhaps, even in cases that involve the non-religious militant groups in Karachi?
Soon, Pakistan’s forgotten war – the one that will be a result of the state’s tenuous relationship with the “banned” religious outfits in the Punjab – will come to the forefront. An effective judiciary, one that can operate with freedom and personal security, will be the only thing stopping a descent into chaos. Those with greatest risk to their security, however, are not the judges themselves but the personnel of the law enforcement agencies who are supposed to police these badlands. When the state doesn’t provide adequate security gear and arrangements to these unsung heroes even when they are on duty, how can they expect the same state to protect them when they are off duty and are with their families?
To come back to the Taseer case, the issue isn’t dead. The defence has expressed an intention of appealing. This is a case that may go all the way to the apex court, finally becoming that first wedge between the present dispensation at the judiciary and the religious conservative, anti-government movements that have hitherto rooted for it the most.
