The Punjab government, by adopting an initial posture of denial, has done more harm to its credibility than if they had decided to tackle this menace hands on, utilizing all resources of state power to protect victims, punish police and local administration who by their inaction had become abettors of this heinous crime, instead of custodians of law. Please do not misunderstand me, but in some ways, there is similarity in the heinous nature of crimes committed against innocent and helpless children in APS Peshawar and sexual abuse of scores of children in village near Kasur. In case of APS Peshawar, over hundred children were massacred by terrorists, while in Kasur scores of children belonging to poor families were kidnapped, tortured, sexually molested and whole episode captured on videos, either in full know of police and district administration or their incompetence. These videos were sold and used for blackmailing poor parents. Unfortunate victims of Kasur and their parents may be forced to live in constant fear and torment for their children as long as they live if these criminals return to threaten them. Will police and state apparatus stand up to ensure that justice is done in this case by transferring it to an Anti Terrorist Court, given heinous nature of this crime?.
Laws need to be enacted so that video and other scientifically corroborative evidence is acceptable in crimes of rape and abuse of children and the mentally handicapped. Pedophiles and rapists must be debarred by law, never to reside near vicinity of victims, nor near schools and colleges. Minimum punishment for rapists should be life imprisonment without parole till their natural death or hanging. As for other political parties they need to ask their respective members like Khurshid Kasuri, Sardar Asef and Ch Manzoor etc, all from Kasur, what have they done to protect their constituents, instead of point scoring.
MALIK TARIQ ALI,
Lahore, August 11.