Is There No One To Provide Justice In Islamic Republic Of Pakistan?

MQM has staged massive protest rallies against the abduction, torture and killing of its workers. According to MQM, the personnel of law-enforcement agencies whether in uniform or plain-clothed, raid the houses of MQM`s workers, abduct them and, later on, dump their dead bodies after torturing to death. “About 25 dead bodies of the abducted workers have been found by now while the number of missing workers has reach up to 45 ever since the Targeted Operation was launched in Karachi”, says MQM`s co-ordination committee.

It is not the first time, but since the beginning of the targeted operation, MQM has been receiving the dead bodies of its workers. Although MQM leadership has been calling attention of the people concerned to the missing and killing of its workers, unfortunately, no action has been taken yet for the remedial. Not speaking of discouraging such illegal and inhuman acts, the government as well as the LEA`s officials directly or indirectly defend this saying that the victims were accused in several crimes. But, the question is, can a politically accused person ever be abducted, missed or tortured to death especially without being taken to the court? Furthermore, even if the accused is trialed in the court and, for instance, proven to be guilty, can the court ever award such an inhuman punishment to the person convicted?

Recently, two different private TV channels revealed with video proofs that how some police officials were involved in the sale of weapons from police warehouses to the criminals and also how they were patronizing the extortion from the traders in Karachi. The question is, will the government as well as the LEAs` officials support the similar punishment to those police men which is being given to the MQM workers? When inquired about this, the Advisor to the Provincial Interior Ministry Sharjil Inam Memon said,” These are only charges right now. Unless and until the accused are trialed and convicted in the court after producing sufficient and concrete proofs against them, they cannot be considered guilty”. Then, should the MQM`s accused not be treated in the same way? This is the double, rather, biased standard that MQM has been facing from the civil as well as the military establishment.

Further, when a political worker belonging to a ruling party gets affected by the on-going terrorism in the city, the government takes its immediate notice. Wali Khan Baber case was portrayed and taken up as a highly profile case just due to the reason that he used to work for a big media group. The 1992`s military operation is also considered to have been the reaction of a slap to a civil dressed major in Landhi. Very unfortunately, the similar case is with the judiciary also that when a lawyer or a judge gets affected in Karachi, the Court takes suo moto notice of the incident and directs the head of the LEA`s to bring the culprits to the justice.

In contrast to all this, MQM workers and voters are being abducted, tortured to death and their dead bodies are being dumped in the remote areas of the city, but no notice is being taken by any of the relevant Institutions. Although in most of the cases, the constitutional petitions had already been filed to the Sindh High Court. Additionally, the victims` families staged rallies outside the High and Supreme Court buildings appealing them to save lives of their abducted loved ones, but instead of getting justice, they received mutilated dead bodies.

Article 25 of the Constitution of the Pakistan says, “All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law.”

In the light of the above-stated article, are the political governments as well the heads of law-enforcement agencies not bound to treat all the victims of terrorism equally? Leaving all a side, is taking suo moto notice on any harm to lawyers and judges, while ignoring the genocide of the people belonging to a specific party and ethnicity by the Courts not a discrimination which is an open violation of the Article 25?

To tell the truth, MQM has always been made the target of the state terrorism since its inception in 80`s. Several operation were launched to crush it. Thousands of people belonging to Urdu speaking community were killed in the name of restoring peace. Dozens of people arrested by the law-enforcement agencies are still missing even after two decades. MQM called the attention of all the people concerned to the on-going genocide of its people, but no one came up for help. Once again the similar situation has been imposed over its people. The question is, when Parliament is not taking up the political as well as ethnic victimization seriously, religious leaders are busy either in their sectarian issues or making Taliban country`s stake holders and, most importantly, Judiciary is deliberately avoiding the appeals of the oppressed people, then whom else should the victims look to for help?

Logically speaking, when the state Institutions have either failed to provide justice to a specific party and community or directly or indirectly are aiding and abetting in the oppression against them, then the victims have no choice, but to look outside for help. This is the only option that the political governments, Parliament, Law-enforcement Agencies, religious priests and the Judiciary have left for Urdu speaking community. But, MQM leadership has been avoiding it since 90`s when the worst military operation was imposed on it. However, the question is, for how long will MQM keep expecting justice from the biased elements in Pakistan? Let`s see!