TTHERE is an old saying in Latin which means, “A crow will not pull out the eye of another crow.” The incidence is related to the FIA, Crime Circle, Sukkur. A few days back a team, led by SHO, FIA, Sukkur, illegally detained and arrested some contractors, who were on bail, from the premises of the sessions court, Sukkur, after their case was transferred to a provincial court.

The issue led to a strike by the legal fraternity at the Sessions Court, Sukkur, which was covered by the local media. Besides this brazen contempt of the judiciary, the worrisome aspect of the episode is that the FIA released all the influentials and only what I say frugal fellows got behind the bars, until the court freed them the next day.

While there are law enforcement agencies that put checks on others, there appears to be no means to put these civilian agencies under accountability. One feels one is at a loss when offended by an official of an agency in broad daylight, and even in courts.

Thanks to mobiles and social media that some are held accountable, as has been seen in metropolitan cities; but the situation in rural areas is gloomy. The courts and mandarins must realise that while they are ranting about the Panama in Islamabad, the public at the bottom is grappling with goons in uniform.

Barrister Zahid Hussain

Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2017