Undertrials’ escape

Published December 8, 2021

IN any country with respect for the law an incident such as Monday’s escape of undertrials from a lock-up in Lahore would have been taken seriously by the authorities. The police command would have ordered an immediate, detailed review of all aspects related to the custody and transportation of undertrials to and from the courts to plug some of the gaps in the justice system. But in Pakistan, those at the helm prefer to look for easier solutions to pacify the public, and find scapegoats among their subordinates. Little wonder then that the Punjab police chief chose to suspend a few policemen — without an inquiry — when 12 out of 166 prisoners facing trial on charges of various felonies escaped from the Model Town judicial lock-up. That the ‘armed’ police escorts, who had brought them from the two Lahore jails to the courts, looked away or ran helter-skelter outside the Model Town judicial complex as the prisoners attacked them in their attempt to get away speaks volumes for their poor training and capacity to deal with such circumstances. It also shows their unwillingness to risk their physical safety with no one around to lead them.

This is not the first incident of its kind. In the past, we have witnessed several such events from Attock to Karachi. Such happenings also reflect our dysfunctional criminal justice system where no one from the police to the prosecution to the courts to the prison administration is doing their job properly. The bulk of financial resources allocated by the provinces every year towards improving matters is mostly used for ‘maintaining’ law and order. Police, prisons and the lower judiciary get next to nothing. Consequently, we have overcrowded jails, untrained policemen and a judiciary struggling to perform its functions. The Lahore incident is indicative of all that is wrong with the criminal justice infrastructure in the country: A large number of prisoners brought in packed prison buses are locked up in a small space to wait for hours without food or water for their turn to be heard by the judges who don’t have more than a few minutes for each case. Some may have to undergo this process for several years. More importantly, this incident shows how the state’s surrender to violent mobs and extremist groups in recent years has affected the morale of policemen who seem to have totally lost their motivation to prevent mayhem and lawlessness.

Published in Dawn, December 8th, 2021

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