Edit in Daily Times, Dec 13, 2022
Just a week after Karachi East Zone Police had made the headlines for all the wrong reasons, another overambitious police officer (this time, in Kasur) was ready to script out a fake encounter so that his newly-minted SHO belt could boast of a shiny notch.
Thankfully this time, a viral audio recording of his designs to trap a proclaimed offender and “shoot him dead” in so-called retaliation found its way to the radar of the senior authority, which led to his immediate suspension. There appears to be no escape from the horrors of killing fields where police officers routinely plan out extrajudicial murders to either step into the limelight or do the bidding of other influential players. It was only in March that two rogue policemen were arrested for fatally shooting at a passer-by only to label him as a robber later.
Last year, Sindh Police employed the same modus de operandi to attack two school-going students in June and kill a teenager in December. The brutal police encounter of four citizens in Sahiwal and the long-winded, blood-curdling killing spree of Rao Anwar are etched fresh and vivid in the collective memory.
The national uproar over the killing of young Naqeebullah in 2018 was expected to spell an end to this deplorable saga. Cold-blooded murders cannot be excused just because the law enforcement authorities are the ones holding the gun. The police officers have to realise that they too are accountable in the eyes of law. The constitution allows the right to life and a fair trial to each and every Pakistani. Mere suspicion should not be allowed to violate these fundamental liberties. It goes without saying that the judicial system also needs to be strengthened so that no one, even the state, does not feel the pressure to go down the route that promises instant results.
Over two million cases pending decision across all tiers of judiciary pose a big question mark on the earnest efforts to streamline the menacing problem. There should be some deliberation on setting a time limit on the administration of justice in high-profile cases. Similarly useful can be the application of video links, at least when trying those charged with terrorism. The twenty-second year of the new age bringing along an unbelievable 30 per cent rise in extrajudicial encounters in Punjab alone is not a trend that should further persist in 2023. Here’s to finally realising that every life matters. https://dailytimes.com.pk/1038824/menace-of-fake-encounters/
