2 weeks Ago
The Karachi police’s arrest of 14 suspects involved in the lynching of an Ahmadi man in the city’s southern area is a step in the right direction. But given the state’s past record in such cases, there is little cause for optimism. The reality is bitter: while arrests make headlines, convictions rarely follow.
And until there is justice, the blood continues to stain our collective conscience. The principle at stake is stark and simple—no matter one’s beliefs, no matter the perceived offence, no one has the right to take another’s life. That right belongs solely to the state, and only after due process, trial, and conviction beyond reasonable doubt.
Even then, it must be exercised judiciously and in only the rarest of cases. Yet in Pakistan, we have allowed groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) to amass enough street power that even a whisper of action against them brings the state to its knees. Cash, jewelry looted in six robberies This is not the first time.
TLP has targeted minorities—harassed them, maimed them, killed them—and the government has stayed silent. Then they escalated. They attacked businesses and fast-food chains, causing chaos and even death, as seen in the killing of an innocent worker.
Again, silence. Now, when pressure mounts for them to be held accountable, they resort to their most potent weapon: the blasphemy allegation. The result? Another Pakistani lynched, another life lost, another family shattered.
And what does the state do? It trembles. It calculates political fallout. It worries about street protests and criticism.
It backs down. This is nothing short of a disgrace. For years, we have known who these people are, what they preach, and how they act.
Their tactics are public, their incitements loud and proud. Yet, when the time comes to enforce the law, to act decisively, the state folds—again and again. Three arrested for blackmailing citizen Tags: tlp unchallenged.
