The gang rape of five tourist girls near Fort Munro area of Dera Ghazi Khan by the members of Border Military Police is the symptom of disgusting behaviour that, unfortunately, has come to mar our society and an outcome of lack of accountability. The BMP enjoys great powers since they are charged with ensuring the writ of the state in a lawless area.
The girls were stopped at a check post near Fort Munro from where they were kidnapped. Thankfully, four of the culprits have been arrested and proceedings are underway reportedly at the behest of President Zardari, something that gives one hope that along with judiciary, the executive is also keeping vigil. If proven guilty, the accused must be given swift and exemplary punishment of the harshest kind to curb such tendencies in society. We as a society are ourselves to blame for such acts. Consider how the Musharraf regime sprang to defend a military man who had raped a doctor. The victim had to seek refuge in a foreign country. Mukhatran Mai’s case also affords an example of how weak our justice system is in protecting women’s rights and how impossible it can be for a victim to get justice. These villains must be made an example of.