I want to talk about the acquittal of Shahrukh Jatoi, which is a travesty of justice. While the common man believes justice has not been done by the courts, the larger picture gets largely ignored. Since the inception of Pakistan, the elite class has continuously struggled to accumulate power at the expense of the other social classes. This constant struggle has led to the creation of extractive institutions that limit the possibility of the middle and lower classes to excel, achieve and materialise their dreams.
The criminal justice system is one such domain. It is purportedly designed for the welfare of the public to protect their rights and liberty, but in reality it is just a philosophical idea that bears no resemblance to the ground reality.
Justice delayed is justice denied, but why did it take 10 years to acquit Jatoi? The prosecution was unable to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt due to a variety of causes that diminished the possibility of justice, leading to the acquittal.
Judges are bound by the law. They cannot extend the law to give expression to their emotions or biases. It is the duty of the prosecution to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt. So, instead of putting the blame elsewhere, we should critically analyse the inherent structural flaws in our criminal justice system and see what we need to do about them.
Being a human, I, too, have some inherent biases, like everyone else, that compel me to quote a line from George Orwell’s famed novel Animal Farm: “All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”. Make your own conclusions.
AHMAD VIRK
LAHORE
