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THE death by self-immolation of a rickshaw driver in Karachi yesterday provides a glimpse into the injustice and humiliation suffered every day by innumerable people on the streets of Pakistan. It was last Saturday that the rickshaw driver, Khalid, had set himself alight near the city police chief’s office in the Saddar area, saying he had had enough of the daily harassment and extortion by traffic police. Allegedly, ASI Mohammed Hanif had been extorting him for Rs100 every day, but on Saturday he handed him a ticket when Khalid could only shell out Rs50. A police investigation found that the ASI’s actions were based on mala fide intentions; he was subsequently arrested and a case registered against him.
Such extreme measures, as that taken by Khalid, arise from the most desperate of circumstances. They arise when the daily grind of toiling for one’s family is not enough to meet basic needs, or when people are victimised by state functionaries who abuse their power to humiliate and punish. Sometimes, they are triggered when the cry for justice falls on deaf ears; victims of rape in this country, confronted with an apathetic and corrupt police, have also been driven to such actions. The many stories of want and powerlessness that one can see all around, if we choose to do so, are the outcome of a grossly unequal society. Where wealth and connections can enable individuals to buy or bully their way out of being held accountable, those without, have little security of life or property. In Karachi, there was a time not too long ago when traders and regular citizens, if they valued their lives, had to regularly pay protection money to thugs affiliated with political parties. The operation to restore the writ of the law in the city successfully addressed such cases. But, as Saturday’s incident grimly illustrates, among the law enforcers themselves are individuals who continue to extort the poorer segment of society. Such police personnel must face severe consequences for their criminal behaviour.
Published in Dawn, October 23rd, 2018
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