‘We killed Laiba’
‘SCUM of the earth’ and ‘fraudster’ sound almost like terms of endearment in his case. He will soon be apprehended. Trial and punishment will follow in due course. However, a little soul-searching will make the ultimate verdict clear — we killed Laiba. As the details of her case continue to emerge, let us not get bogged down in numbers; let us assume that the amounts extorted from the family to secure a job for Laiba’s brother or to obtain admission to a university abroad add up to a significant sum, especially for a family that had to sell its life’s savings to meet the asking price.
The gravity of the situation, if not already established, warrants a brief digression. While sitting across from a cardiac surgeon, discussing options for my mother’s treatment, I was struck by the following question: “But would you have to sell stuff to afford the recommended treatment?” Until that day, it hadn’t dawned on me that the doctor must ask this often to include it on his list of questions.
The minute you hear about a tragedy like Laiba’s recent death by suicide, you start asking: what are they teaching in universities these days? Even a below-average student should know that a scholarship is meant to remove barriers and let a bright student pursue quality education, regardless of location. It shouldn’t require any money to change hands between the aspirant and agents posing as counsellors and consultants. Here, we are talking about a gold medallist from a well-known university. What was she thinking? Then your stomach twists into a million knots as the reality hits: she was killed in an attempt to get a life.
While universities here (in fact, our entire education system) aren’t geared towards teaching life skills and critical thinking, the crisis runs much deeper; a state that fails its citizens isn’t safe. It isn’t safe for life, ‘honour’, or investment. Let me explain.
A state that fails its citizens isn’t safe.
Not a week passes without a young person asking me to help them land a job. I find myself repeating this: first, I am not connected at all; second, even if I were, a good word doesn’t suffice anymore; people don’t oblige without a bribe. More often than not, I am told, ‘we will manage to pay, somehow’.
After they confess their desperation, I challenge them — with a fraction of that money, they can start vending fast food at a street corner, and I offer to stand alongside them for a week if they consider it beneath their dignity or not in keeping with their academic degree. It gets them off my back, but the systemic issues blocking enterprise remain.
Dangers to life, limb, and property may be gender-blind, but when it comes to sexual assault, women face a double whammy. They are not just physically more vulnerable, but as unwitting keepers of family honour, they are also expected not to talk about any violation, lest they bring shame upon the family, clan, tribe, etc. We are all responsible for the rot, as sickening attitudes that are making the place unlivable are displayed not only in private but also in public rallies and on national television.
From a military dictator defending a man accused of assault on TV to the most popular leader of a political party linking women’s dress to triggering man’s innate baseness, we have heard and ignored it all.
Social media is replete with clips of that sorry excuse for a man telling his odious interviewer, “jo pasand agai, utha liya” (‘if we like her, we abduct her’). He remains within the fold of the PPP, which rivals the PTI’s claim to being the ‘most popular party’. This is despite the fact that he continues in his vile ways and appears in another video, pointing to his dog and then to an associate, declaring, “only these two are truly loyal to me”.
Men are not immune to physical and emotional violence in this environment, but society does not burden them with the shame that keeps women from seeking help. Men have the luxury of appearing macho or vulnerable when it suits them. A public office holder who regularly hurled threats at the opposition and abused women claimed sexual torture in custody.
The prime minister has directed the police chief and the interior minister to immediately apprehend the man whose actions led to Laiba’s tragic death. One wonders whether he and his cabinet spent the rest of the day in meetings to figure out how to portray Pakistan as investment-friendly.
Visiting cricketers who won’t get a soft drink refill at a burger joint in their own country receive state guest-level security; entire cities are shuttered to ensure visiting dignitaries’ safety, while they jog in public parks back home. The climate and environment are becoming increasingly uninhabitable by the day.
The writer is a poet. His latest publication is a collection of satire essays titled Rindana.
Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2026
