My heart bleeds for what happened at Punjab institute of cardiology. Where are our social norms, values and culture? Have we forgotten them down the road or we actually lost humanity. What happened yesterday is an eye opener and really requires some introspection of what we as a society have become.
Lahore is known for its warmness and open heartedness. What the lawyers did yesterday is a shame for everyone who wears the black coat. Following Quaid-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah footsteps I also joined the honourable society of Lincoln’s Inn but now I will think twice before pursuing it or practicing within such a society. What are we showing to our generation on television screens? What impact such images will leave on the children. So the question arises who is responsible.
It is again sheer incompetence of the ruling party. Punjab cannot be managed like this. New administration is being micro managed by Islamabad hence they are not keeping provincial representatives in the loop. It will not work because day to day situations need quick orders and proactive approach. Punjab requires the Pervez Elahi model or the Shehbaz Sharif decision making model which in theory is called the “Individual Ministerial Responsibility”.
According to Joseph Stiglitz; there is nothing we can do without a government; we can’t go back to the jungle. In Punjab everyday there is a new Inspector General Police up till now 6 have been changed since PTI came into power. So how can they develop a collective, stable law and order policy. Such frequent changes in administration will cause problems as these current issues have been going on for months and sources reveal that it was almost solved before changes were made in administration. So lack of continuity can be a cause of mismanagement which has been quite evident on multiple occasions and one cannot shut eyes after yesterday’s incident.
The question is how best to ensure that what the government does, serves the interests of all of society. Quick response force and anti-riot force should have been better prepared especially after Model Town Incident. Political institutions are complex. They can exacerbate social injustices rather than alleviating them but they can be instrument of exploitation rather than an instrument to prevent exploitation as we saw in Punjab institution of cardiology. The PMLN government should have trained the anti-riot force better. The PTI which made loud promises regarding reforming Punjab police and training it better to tackle “The Gullu Butt” force failed to do so.
The writer is a freelance columnist.