Police in Pakistan has rarely been a picture of professionalism or confidence. More often than not the police are in the news for their own inadequacy and criminal activity. In such a state where the trust between the citizens and their protectors has broken down to this extent, one would expect the government to take harsh measures to clear the rot from the system. However, the law enforcement agencies continue to find ways to sink to deeper lows, and the government continues to ignore this downwards spiral.
The investigation officer and his team in the Bahadurabad lynching case have been arrested for extorting money from the suspect’s family. The allegations are damning. According to the SSP, “the investigation team reportedly received money from family members of the suspect.” Meanwhile SIO Farooq Azam, Sub-Inspector Rehmat, Constable Shah Faisal and Ghulam Rasool have been nominated in the case, however Ghulam Rasool – a police investigation officer it must be remembered – has escaped and is on the run.
It is unfathomable to imagine how the corrupt a police department has to be if during a high-profile, sensitive, and tragic lynching case, its officer’s first thought was to make some petty cash on the side. This tragic incident was on national news channels; Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had taken a public notice of the killing; this was supposed to be investigated by the most competent officers on an expedited timeframe. Yet the Karachi Police let the country’s expectations down.
Not for the first time, it must be said. The Rao Anwar and Naqeebullah saga has still not come to the correct conclusion and day by day it seems as if the Rao Anwar will not face accountability for his extra-judicial killings. The public’s trust has evaporated, and it will a not come back so easily.