May 20, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1429

KARACHI, May 19: The two incidents of setting robbers on fire after giving them severe beating in Ranchhore Line and North Nazimabad and a similar attempt in Lahore are the manifestation of people’s loss of faith in police and other law-enforcement agencies.

This was stated by leaders of different political parties on Monday. They said spiralling prices, increasing inflation, rising unemployment and failure of the judicial system was adding to people’s frustration as they had lost faith in the law-enforcement agencies.

Sindh IG Shoaib Suddle said the violent incidents were the result of failure of our social justice system. He, however, did not admit in plain words that it also spoke of police inefficiency, which prompted people to seek arms licences to protect themselves, instead of relying on police, against increasing incidents of street crime, robberies and vehicles snatchings.

Although he said no one could be allowed to take the law into his own hands, he chose not to explain the causes of frustration of people and distrust in the government machinery.

The leaders said the government seemed to have given a free hand to manipulators to mint money by creating artificial shortages of essential commodities and increasing prices of wheat flour, rice, cooking oil, pulses etc.

Pakistan Muslim League (Q) Senior Vice President Sardar Ghous Bux Mehar said that when police failed to protect the life and property of people, they would be compelled to take the law into their own hands.

He said that in rural areas the law and order situation was far worse than in cities where no one could dare stay outdoors after nightfall.

He said the PPP and the PML-N, which had the people’s mandate, instead of solving problems with a vision had spent 45 days on the single issue of the judiciary without resolving it. The judiciary issue had the support of civil society, the legal fraternity and public opinion and if a decision had been taken, no one would have opposed it, he added.

National Workers Party Senior Vice-President Yusuf Mastikhan said there was despondency among the people because of the dismal performance of police and if they decided to protect their life and property themselves, the outcome of would not be different from what had happened in Ranchhore Line and other places.

He said the pre-Nov 3 judiciary had given a hope to the people that they would get justice from some of the suo motu actions of the judiciary, but the Nov 3 illegal action of Pervez Musharraf had dashed their hopes.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam_ (Fazl) leader Qari Mohammad Usman condemned the violent acts, but added that it was the result of the increasing feeling among the masses that the common man could not get justice in Pakistan. The JUI leader said when people started taking the law into their own hands, it showed that their faith in the writ of the government had been shaken.

Jamaat-i-Islami deputy chief Prof Ghafoor Ahmad said that no sane person could endorse the lynching incidents but the question was if in Lyari, where one party was supporting one gang of criminals and the other the rival gang, making police helpless, what option was left with the people to safeguard their life and property. The people, however, should not take the law into their own hands, he added.

He said it was the basic responsibility of the government to provide protection to the people, but if all law-enforcement personnel remained busy giving protocol to and protecting ministers and advisers, who would protect the people.