As long as the investigation and prosecution agencies of the federal, provincial and district governments are dominated by the mindset which consider crimes against women a minor issue, incidents such as rape, murder and staged suicides will continue inspite of the enactments of laws. The problem in Pakistan is not the lack of laws, but failure of the state and its law enforcement departments to implement the law and enforce its writ.
Recently, a private television network gave a news report of an incident which should have brought the police into action, but what the report stated was shocking. This incident occurred in DHA Lahore in the vicinity of the residence of the CM’s son, where a trader physically beat up his wife and threw her outside the house. It did not end there because the enraged husband then ran his car over his wife while his mother-in-law and his brother-in-law were standing outside the house located in Lahore’s posh area DHA.
When the channel took the SHO of this police station on live television for his comments, he stated that this was a minor family matter and justified delay in taking action against culprit. The poor wife, her mother and brother are in hospital with multiple wounds and fractures. This incident occurred in the second biggest city of Pakistan, where the sick feudal mindset of the law enforcement agencies (whose responsibility is to protect citizens) failed to even hide their bias.
No wonder Mukhtaran Mai’s abusers have gone away scot free. This is not the failure of the judiciary, but failure of the state to protect the weak from abuse by prosecuting them and ensuring that they get exemplary punishment. When it comes to crimes against women neither the obligations of the state are being delivered nor has the civil society, political parties or media taken up this matter with the zeal that they should.
Shahzad Khalil
Sialkot
