Hope for Justice

The recent judgements of the Pakistan Supreme Court come as a breath of fresh air for the improvised masses of Pakistan. From the re-instatement of the suspended Chief Justice Mohammad Iftikhar Chaudary to the release of PML-N leader Javed Hashmi from a life long imprisonment on charges of ‘treason’.

Undoubtedly the sole credit for this miraculous change in direction of the judiciary of this country can be awarded to the lawyers of this country who have worked extremely hard to make sure that instead of the petty interests of a few corrupt politicians it is justice that is served in the courts of this land.

Unfortunately for us the judiciary of Pakistan is considered to be one of the most corrupt elements of the state. A recent survey by Transparency International rated the Pakistan judiciary as the third most corrupt government department, lagging behind only the police and the power authorities. Blatant and open misuse of authority and prolific corruption has slowly eroded any trust that the people of Pakistan had placed in this department.

It has been said that the downfall of a society starts when the common man is denied justice. We are well beyond that point. This year on the 14th of August we will be celebrating our 60th anniversary of freedom. Still the man whose parents or grandparents sacrificed so much for the freedom of this country is still in the quest of the elusive thing called justice.

Every cog of the state machinery which was supposed to be created for the upholding of law and order in this country has become a tool for the rich and powerful to break every law that has ever been created. The police, the law courts, the parliament all of which are supposed to help alleviate the suffering of the weak have become tools of oppression for the few elite that cling on to power.

The only natural outcome of such a situation is the slipping of society in a state of anarchy. Very strong signs of such a situation have started to appear for quite a while now. Karachi, the economic hub of Pakistan, has degenerated into a land of utter lawlessness. If one ever gets the chance to converse with a Karachi resident then most of them will be able to recount at least one event in which they were robbed at gun-point. Many households are hiring private guards to protect their homes, due to the fact that the police in the city which is being funded by their tax-rupees finds itself unable to provide the protection for which it is created.

If we are not careful now, things can get even worse then they are now. A complete state of anarchy does not lie very far away if we do not mend our ways soon. It is for this reason that we must continue to support the Supreme Court and encourage it to pave the way for a just and democratic system of governance which is the our only hope out of the mess which 60 years of utter irresponsibility has created.