Justice in Pakistan – some disturbing reflections

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Posted by Raza Rumi

An anonymous contributor at the Friday Times talks about how the murder of a family member raised painful questions about Pakistani society

When an incident occurs which should never have taken place – an anomaly, a tragedy – the first question that springs to mind is, who is to blame? It has been two years since my uncle’s body was found, decaying in his own blood, two years since he was murdered in his house, in his own sanctuary. I have had enough time to distance myself from the tragedy and view the events in a more rational way. But is there anyway to rationalise the murder of an innocent man, whose only crime was that he could not afford to live anywhere but in a small apartment in an unsafe area of Karachi?

As I sit safely in America and think about his murder, I am confronted with the question of my own identity. Who is a Karachiite? I strive to answer this question. To me, a Karachiite is a jaded individual, who invariably knows someone who has been the victim of a crime or is a helpless victim of fear and loathing himself. Yet tragedy and fear never strike hard enough until they hit home, and that is when you realise how real crime is. It’s not just some cool scene from a pyscho thriller flick.

As I delve deeper into understanding my identity in light of this one incident that has marred my life, I begin to think of what my country means to me. Patriotism in Pakistan is an oxymoron, yet it is a phenomenon which can be seen surging from the masses on Independence day, where the working classes filter into the streets, shouting their cries of undying affection for their country, where children in schools begrudgingly give up their holiday to sing songs of praise about their wonderful homeland.

One wonders why the upper class does not willingly and happily participate in celebrating the country’s independence. Where is their patriotism? Are they hesitant to shout out “Pakistan Zindabad!” because they truly have nothing to be thankful for by living in this country? Or have the upper classes decided that, since money can buy everything in Pakistan, including justice, and since this resource is, for them, plentiful, then why not let the poor shout out their patriotic cries? After all, ours is a great country where the poor become poorer, the rich stay rich and the gap continues to widen. Why should we as a collective nation bother ourselves to question and change a corrupt system for the benefit of all?

I have long been a silent participant, a coffee table talker, and watched life in Karachi grow from bad to worse. When I moved to the United States for further studies in journalism, I had a specific, idealistic purpose in mind – to come back and make documentaries, to help by giving a voice to those who had none. But in reality, luxuriating in the US, I almost forgot my “lofty” goals. Every time I heard any criticism about Pakistan in the West, I countered it with great patriotism, the kind that is born when one is away from their country; and the memory of the harsh life there has faded significantly. But the murder of my uncle reminded me why my newfound patriotism was ill-founded. And my feelings of resentment toward a political structure which does nothing to prevent crime returned with a vengeance.

That my uncle was murdered in cold blood but we will never know his murderers keeps me awake at night. Even if we had the technology and the means to track down these criminals, we still lack a police force whose ultimate goal is to battle crime. And so, living in a vicious circle of disappointment and corruption, people like me are forced to shun the rational world and resign themselves to divine justice. Any other kind of justice in Pakistan is a fading illusion.

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Filed under Karachi, Society, musings, public policy, state

Tags: criminal justice system, Justice, Karachi, murder, Pakistan, patriotism, reflections