DESPITE the fact that a large number of people have expressed solidarity with the Hindu community in its demand to recover Priya Kumari and reunite the child with her family, there has been no trace of the girl. It has been three years now.

The unfortunate Priya was abducted on the 10th of Muharram while she was helping her syncretic father distribute water to mourners in Sangar, a small town near Sukkur. Despite widespread outcry, social media campaigns and public demonstrations, the mystery surrounding Priya’s disappearance remains unresolved.

The proceedings of the Joint Inves-tigation Team (JIT) formed earlier were inconclusive, and the one constituted in April this year is yet to file a report. The public is weary of these committees, which are being viewed generall as an exercise aimed at delaying the dispensation of justice.

The pattern of forming JITs as a tool of procrastination is evident in similar high-profile cases, like that of Fazila Sarki, kidnapped in 2007, and the nine family members of Mano Bheel community who were abducted in 1998. Despite the formation of many JITs, suo motu notices by the superior judiciary, and the passage of 17 and 26 years, respectively, these cases have remained dormant, illustrating the state’s helplessness against powerful landlords and the entrenched system.

It has now become imperative for the authorities to act decisively to bring the criminals to justice. The nation must unite to ensure Priya’s safe return that will restore her grieving family’s smiles.

Qamer Soomro
Shikarpur

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2024