I was amazed to read a news story titled " The kidnapping of young Briton Sahil Saeed has focused the international spotlight on one of Pakistan's more murky secrets". In fact, the world and international media in particular know well about the kidnapping for ransom in Pakistan. It has become one of the most profitable business in Pakistan. Last year thousands of documented cases of kidnapping have been reported in Pakistan with Punjab topping the list with 11 000 cases of abductions. In most of the abductions cases the missing persons simply disappear. No body knows, how these people disappear and where they can be located. Supreme Court of Pakistan is processing the cases of thousands of missing persons but the Agencies (military & ISI) are reluctant to co-operate with the Court, rather hurdles are created.
Of course, small criminal gangs are also involved in this heinous crime, but we always miss the root-cause of the problem and the main culprits. It is been proved beyond any doubt that ISI has been using this method of Kidnapping for Ransom to finance its so-called Jihad in Afghanistan against former Soviet Union and later after 9 11 to finance the Talibans in Pakistan and Afghanistan waging war against US and Allied forces. Besides kidnapping, other methods of collection of black money were looting banks, donations through different jihadi organisations, receiving bribes from corrupt bureaucrats and politicians and most important of all the drug business. Former Prime Minister Nawaz sharif rightly pointed to this heinous crime of Pakistan Army and ISI in his interview with Kamran Khan published in Washington Post.
Until or Unless this rogue Pak Army is not made accountable for such crimes, it will continue. Mr. Ansar Abbasi, in his Column, coinciding with the Women Day of March 08, has made the Police a scapegoat in the above mentioned case along with other similar cases, but he missed the point, who actually is responsible for this state of the affairs? Of course, police is directly involved in some crimes but in most cases police is forced by Pak Army and ISI to release or not to arrest the culprits, as the criminals are on the pay-rolls of these two powerful institutions.
To another assertion of Mr. Ansar Abbasi that the Islamic laws introduced in Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iran have been instrumental in reducing such crimes in these countries. I do not think the inhuman laws of medieval ages could be introduced in this modern age by lashing people, cutting their hands and cutting their throats in public. These laws or practices are not something exemplary to present them as good example to the world. I would like to pose a simple question as to how many innocent people have been lashed, amputated and killed through these draconian laws of medieval times?
Of course there is crime in European countries like UK, France and Germany, but these are not POLICE STATES like Saudi Arabia, UAE and Iran. Their Criminal Justice System is based on respect for Human Rights and dignity of a person. It is here that the real system of the fear of Certainty of Punishment is practiced. What kind of justice system we want to offer to the world in which people are lashed, amputated and killed publicly. Is it viable to introduce such barbaric and medieval system in the modern civilised world and label it as Islamic? Muslim are already suffering from bad image and the naive suggestions presented by Mr. Abbasi can further tarnish our image as Muslims. Mr. Abbasi may be nostalgic about the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan and the medieval draconian wahabist Islamic Ideology, but to term it a true Islam is not fair.
Mr. Abbasi termed the police training, capacity building, increase in the pays of Police and judges as futile exercise.I think only a person out of mind can say such things. He is just harping the tune of Pakistan Military and ISI system of justice where innocent civilians are abducted, tortured and killed extra-judicially, who wrap up the constitution of Pakistan and Judiciary under the force of gun. Crimes, lawlessness, injustice, chaos, corruption and intolerance are rampant in societies where old machiavellian concept of Power is Rights is the norm.
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