The magic wand i.e. the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to probe the horrifying child abuse scandal allegedly involving hundreds of victims in Kasur district has finally presented the report to the Government. As in most cases where JIT’s have been formed to probe cases of serious the nature, the result was as expected; the report has given clean chit to the government MPA. Moreover the report says that the anti-government political parties fueled the scandal and that money, putting down rivals and show off were the primary motive for exposing the scandal. The JIT has suggested the Government to pay Rs. 500,000 as compensation to the victims; yes, 500,000 is the price for victims of the heinous crime.
The report submitted by the JIT was expected to hand clean chits to the powerful, as the JIT’s before have been doing. It is important to mention that the Kasur scandal was flatly rejected by many in the ruling party and the case was labeled a land dispute. Senior minister of the Punjab government, Rana Sanaullah had declared the cases as ‘fake’ back in August. When such powerful figures in the Government flatly reject a horrifying scandal the victims don’t have much hope to get justice.
What should have happened? The scandal should have immediately led the Punjab government to revisit its entire law-enforcement strategy. A sadistic criminal gang preying on young boys and girls for years operating a stone’s throw from the seat of provincial power and able to intimidate entire communities into keeping silent for years, why is that even possible? The answer may lie in the fact that the Punjab government is only concerned with metros and underpasses and not with the horrors the common man has to face on a daily basis.
The JIT’s formed in most cases seem to have one aim; issuing clean chits.