THE nation was forced to again witness wanton police brutality, this time in Sahiwal. Sixteen officials of the Punjab Police Counter Terrorism Department gunned down four unarmed citizens including parents and their teenage daughter in broad daylight

When the issues like lawlessness, a tottering criminal justice system and extra judicial killings go unaddressed, such incidents occur repeatedly.

The state has done nothing to curb police brutality. Last year in January the Karachi police murdered young Naqeebullah. The shock waves of that atrocity are still felt all over the country.

The same year on Independence Day eve, a 10-year-old girl died by a police bullet, and the responsible officials went unpunished.

The police responsible for the Sahiwal tragedy have destroyed a family.

It is time the state reined in our trigger-happy law enforcers.

Enough is enough. Prime Minister Imran Khan should accord top priority to reforming the police and other lae enforcing institutions.

Ammar Aslam Muhammadi

Sukkur

(2)

I AM a Pakistani working in South Korea for a few years now. For me the Sahiwal tragedy was even sadder. The local TV news channels and the print media carried news of the incident.

The Korean people are very polite and mostly sympathised over the killings. However, an unasked question — how could policemen behave in such a brutal manner? — was writ large in their eyes. My reply was to look down at the floor to avoid their gaze.

The federal and Punjab government should ensure that those responsible are sent behind bars for life and foolproof mechanisms set in place for the police to be upholders and not breakers of the law.

Engr Kamran Nagri

Busan, South Korea

(3)

THE deliberate killing by the trigger-happy CTD personnel of a taxi driver, the parents and their teenage daughter is a tragedy that will be long remembered.

No government — especially a democratically elected one — should tolerate police brutality on the flimsy excuse of anti-terrorism.

It is beyond imagination to describe the tragedy and the trauma that will continue to haunt the three innocent children that saw the horror of their parents and elder sibling being killed in cold blood.

This is a clarion call for major police reform in the country.

Nikhat Sattar

Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 23rd, 2019