EDITORIAL: Where terrorists walk free

One of the founding members of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, the notorious sectarian outfit, is reportedly going to be set free soon after 13 years. Malik Ishaq, self-confessed hitman of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who himself admitted to a local Urdu daily in October 1997 that he had been “instrumental in the killing of 102 people”, will be a free man if reports are to be believed. The plight of Fida Hussain Ghalvi is even worse than those hundreds of people’s families who have been killed by Malik Ishaq himself or at his behest. Ghalvi lost 12 family members when Ishaq and his seven allies attacked a majlis. Mr Ghalvi has been persistently fighting for justice since the last 13 years. In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Mr Ghalvi recounted the hardships he has had to face in pursuing this case. From death threats to living a life in isolation, this journey has been an extremely painful one. The news of Ishaq’s release has obviously come as a shock to Mr Ghalvi and many others. It just goes to show how difficult it is for the victims of terror to get justice in a country where criminals walk free.

Pakistan finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Dealing with economic problems on the one hand and fighting the war on terror on the other has made things difficult for the state. On top of that we are now seeing a resurgence of sectarian terrorism in the country. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is one of the most prominent sectarian militant groups in Pakistan. An offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba, the members of this group have unleashed terror against the Shia community for decades now. To see one of its founding members getting ‘freedom’ due to “lack of evidence” raises important questions about the system’s inadequacy to tackle cases related to terrorism. Malik Ishaq was charged with the murder of 70 people in 44 different cases but he could not be convicted because there was not enough evidence against him. This case indicates why there is virtually no conviction of terrorists in Pakistan. Eyewitnesses either did not come forward for fear of retribution, or when they did appear to testify, they were killed; police officials pursuing the case were threatened; judges were intimidated to change their verdicts.

If Pakistan is to rid itself of terrorists, it has to revamp its justice system. When cases against terrorists are brought to court, the reason many witnesses do not venture forth is due to fear. Pakistan needs a proper witness protection programme. Not many people are as brave as Mr Ghalvi. The police, the prosecutors, the judges and the witnesses in such cases need state protection. The next step would be to deal with the lacunae in the prosecution process, which cannot be done overnight. The police are already overburdened. A separate prosecution branch should be formed to deal with such cases with good investigators and highly competent lawyers to steer the cases through the courts. We also need proper forensic labs to collect and scrutinise evidence. When the courts are unable to convict these terrorists, it is mostly because the prosecution fails to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. We have seen this in Hafiz Saeed’s case. There should be a special law for terrorism-related cases whereby it can be ensured that these monsters are not let loose on society and wreak havoc all over again. The hydra of terrorism has to be quashed or else this country will see many more cold-blooded murderers terrorising innocent citizens. *

SECOND EDITORIAL: Entertainment tax

The Punjab government’s move to tax foreign movies being played at cinema houses at a whopping 65 percent has caused consternation to many, more so the cinema owners who say they now face a complete closure of business. Already facing strict regulations — no more than 15 foreign movies are allowed to be screened annually — this latest development may deliver the coup de grace. The Cinema Owners Association has condemned this move. The chief minister has cited this move as a necessary step to improve our local film industry’s condition.

Seeing that entertainment tax is an excise duty that can only be imposed by the federal government as per the constitution, cinema owners are now approaching the courts to mount a legal challenge against this decision.

In a country as entertainment starved as Pakistan, one wonders why Mr Shahbaz Sharif has decided to take up arms against the few remaining venues of recreation the citizen has left at his disposal. After the blanket ban on Basant celebrations, this has come as a blow to many with limited means of procuring entertainment. With ticket rates shooting up for Indian and English movies, empty cinema houses will not come as a surprise.

What does come as a surprise is the perception that imposing this tax will have any positive effect on the flailing local film industry, which is the sorry victim of bad taste and a lack of funds. Time has shown that once Lollywood is devoid of competition, it gets even worse, as when Ziaul Haq banned the screening of foreign movies altogether. If the government is really serious about fixing our film industry, it should provide it with the revenue generated by a reasonable amount of taxation, instead of this two-tiered system where Pakistani movies are taxed at a lower rate, as though that in itself will rescue a moribund industry.

While it is no surprise that the Punjab government is in financial duress with rumours abounding about salaries being left unpaid and contractors whistling in the wind for their payments, it is urged that the provincial government not settle its own accounts at the cost of the people’s all too few means of entertainment. *

dailytimes.com.pk