- It can happen to anyone if ignored
It is widely believed that money can’t buy everything. Wrong. In Pakistan, money can buy everyone and everything, the only difference is that of a price. Sometimes, in the words of Vito Corleone from the novel, The Godfather, an offer which cannot be refused is made. Even the most pious are made to succumb to the power of money. It bends the most upright men and corrupts the honest to the core. In fact it has a plaguing effect which spreads like a pandemic and governs the choices people make during the course of their lives.
There can be different forms of corruption associated with money. Some may usurp the rights of others to unjustly gain which isn’t rightly theirs, the others might fall prey to money in the form of a bribe. For those who dominate the arena of money-generated power, they form the idea of being untouchable in their minds. This isn’t what they boast about verbally but rather their actions and their daring audacity to commit acts without fear of consequences reflects their mindset.
One such classical example of a show of power was witnessed recently when the female family members flanked by armed private guards stormed into a house in one of the most elite residential areas and ransacked the entire house. By now the entire country has seen for themselves what these ladies did in there. Two women were physically assaulted, verbally abused, threatened with sexual assault and were left traumatized for the times to come. It is not a matter of whose house it was or wasn’t, what matters is that under no circumstances can someone barge into a house with armed private guards and threaten an individual’s security and liberty. A number of fundamental rights in our Constitution accord certain protections which were audaciously violated during the attack with no fear of any repercussions present.
Not even a single statement of condemnation and a promise to take to task the perpetrators has been issued by the government. While judicial activism may not be condoned especially in the wake of the Coronavirus orders, however, in my opinion, a notice into this incident would be condonable. An armed assault has been made by a powerful family into the sanctity of an individual’s house with the government expressing its reluctance to proceed. Judicial oversight to ensure implementation of fundamental rights in this case would set an example for the so-called privileged untouchables
As it turns out, owing to the ironical videos made by the attackers themselves and affirmed by the later video statement released by one of the main culprits, it was the family of the famous property tycoon, Malik Riaz Hussain, who undertook this armed assault on Uzma Khan and her sister. Guards provided by Malik Riaz for the purported security of his family were used to annihilate all forms of humanity by first barging into the house and then by threatening sexual assault. If such practices are to go unchecked, then the mighty can easily enter into the house of anyone of us and attack anybody at their will. The power that the Riaz family wields owing to their financial strength is evident from the fact that no government agency has stepped forward to take any action against the perpetrators. Even our free media, every ready to lambast politicians and their families, remains reluctant to even report the event let alone raise a voice, with the exception of a handful of actual independent media houses.
Till the time hue and cry was raised by human rights advocates, a simple First Information Report, which the police is bound to register, was not even in sight. The police was simply too reluctant to proceed against Riaz’s family, with the only explanation being his influence and power. Apart from the inertia of the government against taking any action, what is more perturbing is the threat of using intelligence agencies being made in one of the videos as though the agencies serve at their will and pleasure. One of the ladies can be heard boasting that she can have the Inter-Services Intelligence pick up the two girls if she wants. While this self-proclaimed control over the pioneer intelligence agency of our country may not be true, but it does require action to be taken so as to dispel the notion of the powerful family’s connections and their ability to use them for personal scores.
An example should be made and set for all those alike who consider themselves untouchables. It is very disturbing to see that the later video statement is an open confession of Amina Usman Malik’s involvement in the incident whereby she has not only acknowledged barging into the house, but has rather defended her actions, and yet no action against her has been taken so far. Despite lodging of a frail FIR, no arrests have been made and no formal investigation has been conducted. While the incident may have occurred in a private house, barging in there with dozens of armed assailants is nothing short of terrorism. Any citizen watching the video from the confines of his house would feel threatened; if this goes unchecked, then anyone could be next. Irrespective of the underlying reasons behind the attack, it was a simple case of terrorism whereby the family of Malik Riaz barged into a house and terrorized two female citizens of Pakistan who in the video appear to be visibly shaken as anybody naturally would be.
Our country, on the other hand, rather than raising a voice against the crime which has been perpetrated, remains busy shaming the two women for their alleged illicit activities thereby reaffirming the decades-old illiteracy bound within our society. Blaming the victim is an age-old practice that is very much prevalent in our country. Not even a single statement of condemnation and a promise to take to task the perpetrators has been issued by the government. While judicial activism may not be condoned especially in the wake of the Coronavirus orders, however, in my opinion, a notice into this incident would be condonable. An armed assault has been made by a powerful family into the sanctity of an individual’s house with the government expressing its reluctance to proceed. Judicial oversight to ensure implementation of fundamental rights in this case would set an example for the so-called privileged untouchables. Malik Riaz Hussain, a man who boasts to keep judges, bureaucrats and government officials in his pocket also needs to be reminded and taught, with a stick, the following words:
“Howsoever high you maybe, the law is above you”
