THE long-drawn-out saga of cases against Ali Wazir speaks volumes for the state’s appetite for vendetta. Mr Wazir, a leader of the PTM movement and National Assembly member, was arrested in Peshawar last year and handed over to the Sindh Police who wanted to detain him on charges of making anti-state speeches during a Karachi rally. In November, it appeared that Mr Wazir’s ordeal may be ending, as he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in one of the cases against him. The apex court’s observations during the bail hearing in 2021 raised hopes that the lawmaker’s travails might soon be over. The bench had noted that individuals are released after negotiations and that perhaps the issues voiced by Mr Wazir could be discussed in parliament.

But alas, that optimism was snuffed out this week, as it became clear that Mr Wazir is now at the centre of a fresh controversy. The MNA, who has been languishing in custody since December 2020, has been formally charged by the Sindh Police in yet another case of sedition. His predicament is plain for everyone to see: he is the target of a state-approved campaign at the hands of those hell-bent on punishing him. Fellow activists and supporters have cried themselves hoarse protesting his arrest. Just recently, hundreds of workers marched from Sohrab Goth to the Red Zone in Karachi demanding his release. Many are camping outside the Sindh Assembly, but the PPP provincial government, whose leaders have voiced only tepid unease at his detention, does not seem overly concerned about such victimisation. Mr Wazir, it seems, is one of those unfortunate souls who is condemned to forever suffer the state’s wrath for being out of line. Despite the state’s patience and magnanimity towards many others, including TLP leaders and activists who have often indulged in violence, no such affability has been reserved for the elected parliamentarian. Such persecution is unacceptable and must be condemned roundly by all those who claim to be democrats.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2022