Pakistan - lynching of the Christian couple - Police’s failure

Expressing displeasure at the report submitted by the Regional Police Officer (RPO) on the lynching of the Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan, the Supreme Court has ordered the arrest of the police officers present on the scene. The judges pointed out that even with aerial firing the police could have dispersed the crowd. The RPO has been asked to submit a detailed report on the next hearing on January 15. So far, the police has arrested 59 people out of 138 considered involved in the brutal killing of the couple. According to the report, the mob had beaten the police therefore it remained helpless. However, when the court asked for the medical certificate to confirm if the police was manhandled, the RPO had none. The court has asked the police to also take stern action against the clerics involved in provoking the mob with their inflammatory speeches. This is clearly a case of dereliction of duty on the part of the police. The police is supposed to protect the citizens.

On every new such incident that happens in Pakistan, we feel it is the worst of its kind. Such too was the brutal killing of the Christian couple, burnt alive in the name of religion. The Quran allows Muslims to dine, marry and have good neighbourly relations with Christians, who are people of the Book. Here we are killing them in the name of the very Book that preaches we should love people irrespective of their religious beliefs. On top of this, we do not shy away from using Islam to cover our own dirty deeds or exact revenge. As has happened in so many cases, Christians have been displaced from their homes on blasphemy charges to grab the land they were occupying or even murdered. This couple was in conflict with the owner of the brick kiln on some monetary matters, and instead of resolving the issue amicably; he simply chose to kill them ruthlessly using the excuse of blasphemy.

The court has rightly indicated that it was the responsibility of the police to keep the mob from becoming rowdy and to prevent it from taking the law into its own hands. The performance of the police reflects our overall style of governance. We have seen the police’s potential for brutality in the Model Town incident and inactive in the case of Kot Radha Kishan. The disaster called the police needs a major overhaul, to be made independent of partisan political pressures and reoriented towards protecting the citizens, otherwise citizens will remain insecure and people perpetual victims of this lawless law enforcing agency.