Federal Minister for Population Welfare Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan (strongly) feels that the brutally savaged teenaged brothers of Sialkot were actually dacoits and, thus, the media has to show both sides of the picture. Maybe she wants sympathy for those from her constituencyincluding on-duty policemen who looked on while everyone turned into a beast for the day. For this unique insight, and sense of justice, she has already earned wrath of the people across the length and breadth of country. Condemnations are raging on the net against her and the group she represents. But she is adamant on her view. Ms Awan needs to be told, therefore, about how ignorant she is about the way teenaged minors, even if they have indeed committed any heinous crime, are treated around the world and especially in all civilized societies. There is no scope for the likes of Ms Awan to go around in those societies justifying savaging of the minors like this. This is an opportunity for a society like ours to think whether people of this type should be anywhere near our assemblies, far be that they could be our lawmakers. Her brazen stance also raises the question about what type of people infest our political parties and if these parties have any basic standards to be followed while taking somebody as a member? PPP needs to think if it can afford to have members that support savaging the minors on some purported crime even if it was never committed by them. -SYED SAYEF HUSSAIN, Karachi, August 28.