The arson attack targeting two Daewoo commuter buses in Lahore shows that the scourge prevalent in Karachi is now spreading its tentacles to yet another metropolis. The first attack occurred in Samanabad on Friday where gun-totting thugs stopped the bus and started firing into the air. The passengers and bystanders had to run for their life. While they torched the bus and were scurrying away, there was no sign of police. Sadly, at the same time when the miscreants were putting a match to another Daewoo bus in Township, not one of the police mobile was around to arrest them.
In the aftermath, the Daewoo City Bus service has called a halt to its operations citywide. This was inevitable given the financial loss and the brazenness of the attack. The company’s request for security must be considered so that the service can be restored quickly. Daewoo is a Korean firm that earned a name for itself in Pakistan for construction of motorway and for plying on the intra and inter-city routes. It has had an impeccable record. The bus service is particularly thought to be a boon to the passengers and local commuters alike especially when the domestic public transport system is in a state of decay. No one should be allowed to harass the citizens in this manner, which plainly amounts to inflicting damage on the regular commercial life of Lahore. Typically, the handiwork of Mafias, and other criminal groups, arson attacks are generally used to terrorise people, cause general restlessness as well as coercing political rivals into submission. They are also a challenge to the writ of the state. Why organised crime and arson are so closely linked is because the criminals use them for various purposes including sustaining their extortion rackets. Likewise political groups of a criminal bent will use them to their own advantage.
The attack on Friday clearly points to this direction but it is also suspected that the perpetrators could be from a students’ wing of a political party. Whoever the culprits, the punishment must be accorded in line with the law. Simultaneously, it must be assured that the police officials do not make anyone a scapegoat just to save their own skin. This has been a usual practice. The Punjab provincial setup that prides itself for having established good governance should realise that poor law and order or a useless and corrupt police force are symptomatic of bad governance. A dire need for reform, not cosmetic measures like model police stations, is being felt. No doubt that changing the culture of policing is an uphill task, but it can be achieved with courage and dedication.