‘Extrajudicial killings cannot be justified but society has come to accept this ‘modus operandi’ to make streets safer.’—Reuters/File (via DAWN)
Pakistan police plunge ever lower in their actions failing by their own admission to lead the way in society through upholding the law. Society begins to break down when there is no respect for authority, where there is moral ambiguity and the feeling that a fair judicial process for both criminals and victims of crime is a “distant dream”.
Today human rights advocates will be dismayed to read that extra-judicial killings by police is widely accepted in Pakistan society ever more openly with many simply turning a blind eye to such aberrations. So what do the police have to say on this…
According to DAWN Media today, reporting from Hyderabad,
DIG Sanaullah Abbasi has said that extrajudicial killings and other actions cannot be justified officially but society has come to accept this ‘modus operandi’ of police to eradicate crimes and make streets safer.
“It is not necessary for an encounter to be seen as genuine only if a policeman loses his life in it. You can see police have restored peace and order in the city (through this modus operandi)…,” he said
At a media briefing last week at the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) on cases of kidnapping and women trafficking, Abbasi appears to be justifying police actions known as ‘half fry’ and ‘full fry’. In a nutshell this means if a person is suspected of committing a crime, the police can shoot a person in the leg “to render them disabled before sending them to jail” and it was confirmed that this had been inflicted upon 73 persons in 3 months… see full article on the following link,
http://www.dawn.com/news/1167845/extrajudicial-acts-by-police-aimed-at-curbing-crime-says-dig
Arms should only be used by police in exceptional circumstances not as “punishment”
Police use of firearms is meant only to be used in exceptional circumstances for example where life is being threatened not as a form of extra-judicial punishment prior to a person going to court to determine innocence or guilt. As the system currently stands in Pakistan, a suspect’s case is meant to proceed through a legal process and the punishment is deprivation of freedom (though official execution is covered by law) but not police themselves deciding to physically disable a person leaving them with permanent injury.
The irony is, if Pakistan wishes to adopt an alternative system to the current “democratic” one in place they can always follow Islam and opt for full Sharia as in Saudi Arabia…However if a Sharia system is in operation (which some would argue is a harsher system with penalties such as having a hand removed for theft) a person would still have to go through a Sharia court for proper sentencing before punishment is passed.
Extra-judicial torture and killing by police and the military only incites more violence in society as opposed to making society safer. Another outcome is that when police behave beyond the law the media become afraid to question in case they too become victims of a shooting to shut them up and this fear leads to biased reporting.
Far from a safer society, shooting “untried” persons can incite terrible violence. One of the worst case scenarios of a retaliation attack was the Peshawar Army School massacre carried out by Pakistan Tereek -e-Taliban (TTP) in December 2014 which left many dead. Despite repeated warnings to army and police to stop criminal behaviour of torture and extra- judicial killing in custody BEFORE the incident, authorities continued to allegedly abuse prisoners with bodies piling up in advance of the school attack. Authorities, by their unlawful activities actually colluded to kill the city’s children. Now in another twist of hypocrisy we see authorities naming schools after the deceased children when surely it would have been better to pay heed to warnings and aim to prevent retaliation attacks in the first place.
Don’t the police see when they abandon their morality they only encourage others to do the same and are poor role models for society. They are in fact giving a “green light” for insurgents and others to ignore the law and any Taliban in court only can state they were following police unlawful action of “anything goes” attitude as a defence.
I note also, even in this naming initiative where schools across Pakistan will be called after “martyred” Peshawar school children, there are the usual double standards. When did anyone ever name a school after a child drone victim for example… some “shaheeds” are simply buried and forgotten by the state. Again such hypocrisy is insensitive to other bereaved parents and leads to anger and a feeling of betrayal by authorities! Is it is acceptable to allow and allegedly enable the killing of children by US drone but then resort to outcry when Taliban retaliate.
The problem of lawless police is also a problem for neighbouring Afghanistan as highlighted in two recently released reports, one from UNAMA (a United Nations body) on torture and killing in custody and a second from Human Rights Watch on the criminal actions of warlords, local militia and police see “link” section.
On a last disturbing note as written in DAWN, DIG Abassi states that, Hyderabad and Khairpur had become model districts — thanks to this ‘modus operandi’ (referring to police practice) adding “if this [formula] continues then I can assure you that we will be able to create ideal conditions in crime control.” If Pakistan is happy with these “ideal conditions”and actions of its police and military to allegedly torture and kill suspects then it is very likely more retaliations acts will take place in the future. In that case the authorities must surely accept some accountability for their own actions if their family members are later targeted and shot in return! The message police are giving, is that the law counts for little in Pakistan, police decline to uphold it themselves so insurgents and civilians alike might as well behave as they wish on the streets!
Links
“UNAMA report: The state as an agent of torture, abuse and killing of detainees in Afghan custody.”
“Afghanistan: Human Rights Watch report names warlords, militia as notorious human rights abusers.
Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.
Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog 