What’s more insulting? That another group of so-called vigilantes, driven by their crusade to purge the society of everything evil, brutally tortured a man over an alleged blasphemy act or that a sovereign, independent state was left with no other option but to toot the same tune of zero-tolerance like a broken record? The heart-wrenching episode of mob justice turns an even sordid note when considering how the victim was known to be mentally challenged by all around him. But neither the basic tenets of empathy nor the presence of law enforcement agencies–supposedly enjoying the disastrous spectacle as the silent audience–could stop the dreadful subjugation of Pakistani law, Pakistani society, and for the lack of a better word, humanity.
Since the premier’s just as emphatic denunciation of the Sialkot lynching and the call for a thorough investigation had not led to anything conclusive, the series of statements from power headquarters left, right, and centre, are probably nothing but an eye wash. If heated buzzwords could do the trick, Islamabad’s first knuckle fight to reclaim order against those who had lynched a minor Niamat Masih in 1993 could have steered this ship far, far away from the religiously-incited iceberg. However, nothing happened then and to our grave misfortune, no lost land will be won back today. The proverbial burial of heads in the sand will continue in full swing amid burnt shops, battered vehicles, attacks on religious minorities and the ever-so-glorified murders of the evil by the holy and pure.
Now, there might be some who’ll argue for a change in the narrative: that investing in an educational revolution will help shut the door on these monstrosities. Nevertheless, as long as the state indulges these marble-hearted watch committees with hollow statements that lead to a lack of fear of rules and law, no measures can be of much use.
