The atrociousness of the horrific mob violence in Sialkot cannot be understated, nor can the government’s response in bringing accountability and curbing this epidemic of violence be neglected for a second. Not only has the incident brought international disrepute to Pakistan, due to the foreign nationality of the victim, but this fervour of extremism and vigilantism is a grave threat to the country’s security and future.
Thankfully, the government seems to understand the gravity of the situation for now, and the need for swift action. Nearly all government representatives condemned and expressed horror at the incident. The Sri Lankan High Commission and the foreign secretary had been updated on every detail of the case. Prime Minister Imran Khan also spoke to Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and conveyed the nation’s anger and shame to the people of Sri Lanka over the Sialkot killing. For now, it seems that the government is also taking every action to bring the perpetrators to justice—the Sialkot police has arrested 235 people, including those who tortured Priyantha Kumara and recorded videos. FIRs have also been registered against 900 workers of Rajco Industries. However, this is only the beginning and it has to be seen if the government will commit to seeing the process through swiftly. The accountability process after the Mashal Khan killing took years, with many accused being acquitted.
Moreover, this saga should not just end with arrests and convictions. This, the extremism that has seeped through which has made some indulge in mob torture is a much bigger dragon to slay. All political parties have appeased and fanned the flames of divisive groups.
A first step has been taken by Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who this weekend admitted that the meeting of PTI Punjab President and Senator Ejaz Chaudhry with the TLP leaders, instead of the families of slain police officers, was vulgar. In addition to punishing those responsible, more concrete measures will need to be taken to address the root causes. This will require political will and will be a real test of whether we are serious about addressing this issue.
