Vigalante justice:Truely a bane?

As usual “Civil Society” (a fancy euphemism for the self righteous left/centre/right’ists’ out there) is in a furor over good ole Sarfaraz’s murder. As usual the state is making placatory noises, as usual politicians and talk show hosts are venting spleen at this ‘heinous outrage’. But lost in the empty rhetoric are two crucial questions. Was he or was he not a predator? And secondly if he was would he ever have been brought to justice?

If the answer to the first question is a “Yes” then tragically the answer to the second one would almost certainly be a resounding “No”!!!

Yes we all know it’s the responsibility of the judiciary to deliver justice, but let’s face it when has it ever been up to the challenge? Did the judiciary deliver justice to Muktaran Mai after a decade long struggle?  How many civil society members out there have actually read the verdict on the basis of which her tormentors (who by the way had committed the crime in the presence of literally hundreds of people) were ‘honourably acquitted”.  How many people know about the judicial practice of passing concurrent sentences instead of consecutive ones. I.e. the criminal may be charged, prosecuted & actually convicted for multiple crimes but will be sentenced for one only since all the sentences will run concurrently! And the time spent during prosecution will, of course be, deducted from the sentence by the obliging judge. Add good behavior to that and if I were criminally minded I would be a happy man indeed!

Miscarriage of justice? Hardly. For that one has to check the workings of the judicial system in KP. Let’s see, out of approximately around 650 terrorists arrested by the cops the learnt judges have convicted approximately one individual! The rest including dreaded warlords have been set back on the streets. In one particularly glaring example an ATS judge had set free a man who had been caught red handed with a suicide jacket that he failed to blow due to the efforts of 2 exceedingly brave cops. The judge pointed out that he had no actually committed any crime but was ‘supposedly’ intending to do so.  Our judicial system works on the precedent system and the precedent set is that ‘a suicide bomber can only be arrested after he has blown himself up’…..

Amazing is’nt it? But then this is the same judicial system that sentenced to “Rijm” (stoning to death)of  12 year old, blind, orphaned, Safia bibi for the ‘crime’ of been gang raped (circa 1981). As it did 11 year old Aneela bibi (circa 1982)

Old hat? Rummaging through the dustbin of history am I for obscure cases? Think again. The learnt “justices” of the federal Shariat court have “ordered” the government to put back the Zina ordinance in the statuette books. The very term “judicial justice in Pakistan is an oxymoron so blatant it makes me gnash my teeth in impotent fury.

Is this the independent judiciary that civil society fought for? Maybe.. Just may be in a couple of centuries “justices” here will shake free their enforced impotence. Their outright mysgynism. May be the pope will convert to Islam or alien life forms will descend to earth an signal the end of days… Hmmm??

I never wanted to defend vigilantism. Not the first time I was held up or the 2^nd time or even the 3^rd. But now after it has happened ad neauseam.  Neither me nor my family nor my friends can even step put of our homes without fear. Now that I personally know of at least 3 individuals who were shot ‘after’ they handed over their belongings (an one hapless young chap who was shot simply because he was too well for the mugger’s liking!)

At last, I can understand and even sympathize with Karachi-ites who when they get their hands on muggers, go after them with knives, bricks, rods even petrol.  If Sarfaraz was a predator then “it” was put down like the rabid dog it was and it is indeed a pity the spy with the camera got away with it to put those poor men and their families into such trouble.

And to all those who say that the enforcers should not be punishers.. well.. Just because some of us wear black an mutter Latin in sonorous tones… are they ubermenshen? Is there no individual in Pakistan who has been unfairly executed? Are our jails absolutely free of people who have been wrongly incarcerated?

So, this will lead to anarchy? And vigilantism will lead to the ‘wild west’? But then,when predators are allowed to run amok is this not anarchy? When the courts failed to do the needful in Mumbai the police created ‘encounter squads’ that did the job, but were later ostracized and even reviled.

 Newsflash! The old encounter specialists have been called back from retirement and the squads are back in business. Why? Because once they were put to pasture the city quickly went back to the way it was before it was culled of its more obnoxious elements.

To all the wanna be Z. Torus out there who want to be “Gharmi main kharab” and hold their ubiquitous demonstrations and vigils like Pakistani versions of Mother Teresa I want to say “if being ostriches with your heads firmly stuck in the sand is your thing go ahead and do that by all means. While I for one would love to use my CQB training and my arms license to good effect and if accosted by a predator in a lonely street.. would give ‘it’ exactly what it deserves. “Khus kum jahan pak. Pakistan Zindabad!”

     

Jewel in the Crown

By Tahir S. Attarwala  (Dec 23 2001 The NEWS)
From ridha clad bohra ladies to children totting remote control toys, Frere hall (now referred to as Liaquat /hall) has an allure of its own.. The legacy of the otherwise little known legislator, the old Victorian structure retains the capacity of making its visitors transcend time.

With a cool breeze wafting through the lawns, on a late winter night with just a hint of fog, it is all too easy to sit back and imagine the gothic structure as if it were just being constructed. Indeed, one can almost visualize Frere himself through mists of time, watching the workers putting final touches to the grand structure, standing tall, proud of his accomplishment, secure in the knowledge that long after he is gone, the city’s town hall would keep his name alive. 

Originally constructed to commemorate the services of Commissioner-in-Sinde, Bartle Frere in 1865, the building accommodated the first municipal library, started by Frere in 1852 and displayed the collection of artifacts initiated by Charles Napier. The first floor wall was used for public meetings, lecturers, balls, concerts and dramatic entertainment. 

Currently, the two storied Venetian gothic building now houses the Liaquat Municipal Library on the ground floor and an art gallery on the upper storey. Named after one of Pakistan’s renowned artists, Sadequain, the gallery displays a permanent collection of the artist’s work. Sadequain spent the last years of his life painting a huge mural on the ceiling of the gallery but, sadly, did not live to complete it.

Long after it outgrew its original function of a town hall, Frere Hall proves to be a centre for diverse cultural and social activities ranging from art shows to horticulture exhibitions.  Currently, its lush green lawns are playing host to one of Karachi’s biggest book fairs.  Every Sunday from early morning to past nine in the night, Frere Hall is a hub of activity as booksellers dealing in both old and new books converge from all over the city, come here to sell their myriad wares. Book stalls by the dozens, dotted with invaluable nuggets waiting to be discovered by the discerning customer are assuredly a feast for any bibliophile’s eyes. 

If one is well versed in the art of haggling then real treasures can b procured at a fraction of their true literary value.  This is especially true at late night as by that time most sellers are interested only in getting rid of their stock.

Originally started at Frere Hall, the book fair was shifted to Bara Dari by the KMC. However, since Bara Dari is off route for most buses, it created problems for both customers as well as sellers.  As a result, the fair at its new locale could retain only a fraction of its former popularity.

Credit goes to the new city government for reversing the decision allowing the fair to revert back to its former location. 

So, whether one is an avid book lover or just wants to gaze at the grandeur and elegance of a bygone era, Frere hall offers a little something to everyone. 

It is indeed a fitting tribute to the majesty of a great city

Courage Under Fire

By Tahir S. Attarwala (Dec. 15 2002 The NEWS)

A culture steeped in corruption, unjust social customs and abject selfishness has made us immune to the acts of brutality prevalent in our society. Yet in spite of our numbness we sometimes come across cases of such bestial savagery that our veneer of complacence dissipates as if it has never been and we are shaken to our very core.

The morning of 6th October began as any day for the people of Karachi. There was no indication that within a few hours the lives of many will be irretrievably shattered while the rest of the city will stand traumatized. A new form of terrorism would emerge to blight the lives of the denizens of this great city. A type of violence as insidious as it was ghastly.

It was the advent of the `parcel` bomb-- The weapon of choice of the coward. It afford the bomber virtual immunity from immigiate reprisals while accomplishing its purpose of spreading terror and destruction.

The spate of parcel bombs on that fateful day was particularly gruesome because the most visible symbols of state authority i.e the police were targeted. And not just an isolated police station or tow. Rather the blasts occurred at the offices of the Home Department Sindh, Crime Investigation Department (CID) and the DIG Operations Karachi. Another one--The forth of the series was detected by the police outside the DIG Operations office and was defused before it would explode. The Message was obvious. ~Try to apprehend us or stop our work at your peril~.

And thus by striking at the heart of the law enforcement apparatus, they sought to nullify all potential opposition to their imperious activities.

The bombs were deliberately set to main and cripple rather then to kill. The terrorists knew only too well that agencies that have the right to bear and use arms deal with violent death not as an abstract concept but rather as an occupational hazard.

For a truly patriotic officer `Martyrdom` in the line of duty is a fate to be envied rather then feared, as well as a source of pride for the entire department. But  crippled comrade who has his limbs torn apart however is a chilling and constant reminder to his fellow officers of what may well be their own fate.  The aim being to suck the morale of the force and destroy its efficiency. As if to clarify this point the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed (via e-mail) responsibility for the blasts. They actually asserted that they were `patriotic` Pakistanis: However the policies of the government left them no choice but to `strike back` in this manner.

While it is true that the police have been justly vilified for their highhandedness as well as their corruption. Yet the fact remains that they are by and large the only line of defense that the common citizen has against the predators running rampant in our midst.

And this is precisely why these men have to pay such a terrible price for merely discharging their duty. For most of the victims of the 16th October attacks were at the forefront of the war against terrorism. The first parcel was delivered by hand at SP Zulfiqar Junejo`s office. As the man who carried it in went away, DSP Fayyaz who was present there examined the envelope on which was inscribed the legend `a gift from the MMA`. This message was present on all the parcels.

He tore open the envelope and pulled out a packet covered in wrapping paper. he said it looked like a diary. But he was surprised why a dairy should come so early before the year was out. Confused,  he untied the ribbon and the bomb went off with a bang.  The windowpanes and the glass top of his table were smashed and those present in the room had their hearing impaired for the time being.

At the time of the blast SP Zulfiqar, HC Amjad and PC Sarfaraz were present in the room and the three suffered injuries from splinters while Fayyaz who had opened the parcel lost his fingers.
The second blast occurred outside the room of the sindh home secretary. brig. Mukthair Ahmed, in Tughlag House when his guard opened an identical parcel. It had been sent to the Home Secretary with the word ~ personal` prominently marked on it.

The security people checked it and warned the officials of the home secretary`s office not to open it. The guard   Gulraz Khan unaware of the situation opened the parcel which exploded with a deafening noise.
The third parcel was delivered at the office of the DIG Operations Tariq Jameel carried an identical inspiration.  It was received by his PA Waqar Abbasi who opened it in front of Taj Mohammand, the man who bought it.  Waqar was a career officer who had started his career as  a simple constable and by sheer hard work had managed to become an inspector. he perused his bachelor`s degree, preferring to study nights while being on duty during daytime.

At the time the bomb was delivered to him a citywide alert was been sent to all teh police stations and offices asking the personal to be extremely wary of any anonymous parcels received by them.
Unfortunately, even as the telephone operator received the warning, inspector Waqar Abbasi  had started untying the ribbon. The operator yelled out a warning thought the glass window but even as he did so the sring loaded detonator set off the slab of TNT that constituted the explosive device.

The sound was deafening in the confined space temporarily knowing out Waqar. When he came to his senses he saw that his right hand was gone, torn apart at the wrist. While a few fingers of his right hand were missing as well. Rather then succumbing to panic he kept his senses and pushed away another unopened bomb and tried to staunch the flow of blood.

His men took him to a prominent government hospital where rather then ending his ordeal the doctors simply severed the remains of his right hand without the benefit of Anastasia. It was only on his earnest pleadings did they deign to render him unconscious.

His parents as well as his wife and two small children came to know about the incident though the local news networks.  So chaotic was the scene at the operations office that no one even know if he was alive. Due to the excessive blood loss the doctors were not optimistic about his survival. But it seems as if Waqar`s characteristic guts as well as the prayers of his family helped pull him though.

After the intervention of senior police officers including the DIG Operations Tariq Jameel himself, Waqar was shifted to a leading private hospital where the fingers of his left hand were successfully re-attached.
This father of two is presently recuperating at home and trying to come to terms with the full impact of his loss. He faces a future as uncertain as it is insecure.

One thing is for sure, had it not been for his courage and foresight in detaining the courier who bought him the parcels, the other bombs in the courier`s possession would have been responsible for similar if not worse devastation.

If Waqar Abbasi`s resolve us typical of his fellow police officers then it is a foregone conclusion that the terrorists have utterly failed in their mission of inspiring terror in the hearts of the law enforcement agencies who are continuing their mission of ridding our society of terrorists and other anti-social elements with grim determination. 

An Ode to the (fatal) attraction of dead sheep

One fine day on his throne set Alexander 'greatest of the greats'
Havin with himself as internal debate



He had to his name orgies and conquests sooo many
That news of his misdeeds were positively uncanny



He was in a bit of a quagmire
Since he wanted to do something that was even for him… positively bizarre



At last he decided to elude the laws of time and space
And actually go… and hit on bill gates



And so without any hesitation
He made a quick decision



Through centuries in the twinkling of an eye he did travel
Though it remains a mystery as to how the laws of physics he managed to unravel



At last when at his destination he arrived
Oh boy! was he in for a truly shocking surprise



To find old man bill in the nude
(A sight at which he belched even though he was no prude)



He saw him crouching on an overgrown lamb
Right next to a bubbling cauldron on a fire stand



When the truth hit him he was so numb he couldn't even speak
He realized that while all the time he looked so meek



Bill Gates secretly lusted for dead sheep!!!
(ah well..No wonder everyone always thought he was a geek)



Horrified he turned and ran from both bill and his motley crew
Only to fell in the pot of bubbling stew



So U see my friends he did not die of Malaria or venereal disease as ppl. Surmise
Oh no these were 'not' the reasons for his sad demise



Alex ceased to be … ever more
When Gates stirred his stew and said "Ahh such lovely soup alex d'ovours

Ordeal By Innocence

She was the apple of her parent's eye
As pretty and delicate as a little flitting butterfly


A little waif of a child
Not more then eight or nine


It was while buying an ice cream
That she caught his attention


A sadistic psychopath who happened
to be very good at the art of deception


He materialized at their doorstep
Disguised as a servant


Appearing all proper and prim
So that he could easily worm his way in


As time passed they allowed their reliance
on him to grow and grow


Until they forgot that in spite of his efficiency
He was still some one they didn't even know


Until at last, one fateful day
He asked if he just might.. If he just may..


Take the little one out for a stroll
After all it was such a lovely day..


So effective was the patina of his self created trust
That the unsuspecting parents failed to see his thinly veiled lust



Chatting amicably he took her to his lair
An old abandoned house by the river


With the instinct that is present in every child
She realized that something was not quite right


However even as they passed the old broken gate
Little did she suspect little did she know,


Her vague unease she did not show
Because she had no inkling that for her. it was already, way too late


Unease turned to alarm to outright dismay
She cried she pleaded she prayed



But all her remonstrations were to no avail
Because her would be ravisher was not to be strayed


His look was that of a wild beast
Even as he slobbered over his feast


Reviling in the power of his might
He turned a deaf ear to her tearful plight


Indeed like an enraged wolf he her vestments tore
Until he was literally bespattered with her gore


Gone was the butterfly, its beauty forever besmirched
A symbol of fragile delicacy forever scarred



Afterwards sated and content he became so numb
Indeed, to such depths of depravity had he sunk



That the little angel's remains
Were actually disposed off in a garbage dump



Her parents had meanwhile started a hectic search
For the child they had so lovingly nurtured


Great was their anguish when at last she was found
Alone and uncovered in a trash mound


To a hospital she was immediately taken
Alas. alas . all the doctors efforts all the mother's prayers


All the predictions of the soothsayers
Were no good to the stricken


It was with many a heartfelt curse on the black hearted knave
That the little child's remains were laid to rest in a shallow little grave


Underneath the shady tree, beneath the starry skies
On a little hillock, safe forever from the world she lies



Never more will her house resonate from her impish cries
Never more will she with her puerile demeanour her sibling's patience try



Gone forever was her dazzling smile, her gape toothed grin
Capable of tugging at the hardest of heart strings



Indeed it is with a heavy heart that I this ditty compose
As I wrap up this ordeal caused only by innocence


My aim is simply to strip away the veneer of sacrocence
That is the hallmark of a society… callous to the point of complacence



By Tahir S. Attarwala (Sept. 24 2000)
Asst. Co-ordinator,
YFOW (Young Friends of WAR)Programme
W.A.R.
(War Against Rape)


A tribute to little Fauzia Munawwar

Born 1986
Died 1993

Arrival of anarchy

 By Tahir S. Attarwala (published 12 Sept. The NEWS)


In the wake of the water park gang rape case, how can parents send their young girls to schools and colleges? How can young women commute to and back from their work places?


Lack of accountability, injustice, corruption etc. for the vast majority of Karachiites, indeed Pakistanis in general, are part and parcel of everyday life. Living in our self-created cocoons of complacency, we continue our lives, taking the anarchy in our midst in stride, safe in the belief that it won't affect us.

However, every once in a while certain crimes occur, in circumstances so shocking that we are jarred awake from our collective slumber, and the veneer of self satisfied smugness dissipates as if it had never existed.


Such a crime occurred on Sunday evening, on August 17th this year. The facts of the case are that a young couple went to the city's premier water park hoping to have a fun-filled evening. Instead what they got was a nightmare that will haunt them for the rest of their lives. As they were returning from the park a little before sunset, they decided to stop a taxi and got into the back seat. The driver, however, stopped the cab a few kilometres ahead and two men, clad in shalwar kameez, approached the vehicle as if they were waiting for it. One of them took the passenger seat beside the driver and the other occupied the back seat besides the young man.

As the couple tried to raise a hue and cry, the strangers took out pistols and forced them to keep quiet. They then proceeded to blindfold them and made them bow down. They were made to travel in this manner for about half an hour to forty-five minutes. And then the car stopped outside a house-like place where another man was already present. Both the man and his fiancee were dragged into the place, where the man was bound to a chair.

As the strangers approached her, the girl struggled, but she was told that they would kill her fiance if she dared to resist. In front of the young man, they took turns at repeatedly and callously outraging his fiancee's modesty. After committing on the girl the worst indignity that a male can on a female, the perpetrators dragged them to the same cab and dumped them at an isolated spot in Buffer Zone. The couple then hired a rickshaw to reach home.

Devastated by the ordeal, the young man feels that he himself was responsible for what happened to his fiancee, as it was his idea to enjoy an evening with her in the water park in Gulshan. The young couple had initially decided not to disclose their torment to anybody as this would not only bring more miseries to them but render them social outcasts as well. They, along with the teeming millions of their counterparts, belong to the lower middle class and can scarcely afford prolonged litigation, since they have neither the muscle nor the resources to wage costly legal battles against ruthless and power full criminals.

The couple, later, decided to narrate their horrific ordeal requesting anonymity, only to forewarn other young couples and especially females who would visit the park that they must beware of the notorious gangs operating both inside and outside the park. It is evident that such persons and gangs roam freely in the city knowing full well that their victims have no choice but to keep silent and refrain from reporting their tribulations to the police. This is especially true in that particular vicinity since similar crimes have been reported there and even FIRs (First Information Reports) registered with the local police.

What makes this specific crime so horrifying is that a grown adult girl is kidnapped along with her male escort while there was still daylight in one of the most congested thoroughfares, regularly patrolled by the police, in the city on a crowded holiday evening.

Either the perpetrators of this dastardly act were monumentally careless or they were supremely confident. But when one looks at the whole criminal justice system, from the underpaid and unmotivated police force, to the hopelessly overworked and shorthanded judiciary; from the archaic Zina Ordinance laws (that do promise the death penalty for gang rape but at the same time demand four adult male witnesses to what is a uniquely private crime) to their near total lack of implementation, it is easy to understand why these criminals were so confident.

There is no doubt that this crime has sent a tremor of fear throughout the whole city. How can parents send their young girls to schools and colleges? How can young women commute to and back from their work places? These are questions that the beleaguered law enforcement apparatus has yet to answer.

While it is heartening to note that the Chief Minister himself has taken personal notice of this unfortunate incident, but care has to be taken so ensure that the ubiquitous promises of 'exemplary punishment' are actually carried out rather then being cast aside and relegated to the dustbin of history.



The denizens of this city can do this by keeping the issue alive. The various NGOs dedicated to the welfare and uplift of women can take up cudgels in this regard. The press can continue to highlight this case; the people can demand progress reports and press releases regarding daily updates from the government.

If this case, and all that it exposes of the fetid underbelly of Karachi, is allowed to seep out of our collective consciousness, if the perpetrators are not bought to justice, it would truly be a horrible tragedy for not only these criminals, but others of their ilk would be emboldened to other even more outrageous crimes.

The most basic of all priorities of the state is the protection of the lives, honour and property of the people. If it fails to fulfill this primary obligation then all its achievements in all other fields are rendered irrelevant. Because without the rule of law and order, anarchy inevitably ensues. And an anarchic state is a 'failed state'. Unwittingly, by the sheer brazen nature of their crime, these individuals have thrown the gauntlet at the administration. Today if the government fails to act, if it fails to provide protection to the victims, if it fails to bring the culprits to book, then tomorrow will simply be too late.