The young motorcyclists who had shot a motorist and his friend in Malir on Friday night remained unarrested, amid allegations that thety were the children of influential people. There has to be something wrong where such young men can carry around what the police strongly suspect is an unlicensed weapon, on the strength of which they roam around on motorbikes, spreading fear all around. The late Jazlan and his injured friend Zargham were shot at because they had had the temerity to call out their assailants for that reckless bike-riding.
The problem is that there is a culture of impunity, which existed at the time of the 2012 murder of Shahzeb Khanby Shahrukh Jatoi and Siraj Talpur, which was a targeted incident, again because Shahzeb had tried to persuade Shahrukh and friends from misbehaving. The killers were released after Sahzeb’s father forgave them. They were the sons of influentials, and their impunity provided asn unfortunate example to other young men with too much money, too many firearms, and too much testosterone in their systems. The Nazim Jokhio case, where an MNA and MPA are accused to murdering him for reporting their violation of the game laws, is only the laterst example by which influential persons can profit.
The weak point of the system is on display. There can be no further movement in this murder unless the victims are caught. There has been plenty of time for the pigeons to flee the coop, to get out of the country and thus outside the jurisdiction of the local police. Arresting them will only be the beginning. The process of investigation and evidence gathering allows the police many opportunities of spoiling the case so as to please influentials. This case should allow the Sindh government to reform the criminal justice system. Too many young men are being sacrificed to the twisted egos of spoiled rich brats.
