It’s been almost a week since the body of 7 year old Zainab was recovered from a dumpster in Kasur and emotions are still running high. The nation is united in its outrage against the rape and murder of the poor 7-year old. Everyone, including well-known media personalities, is demanding that immediate action is taken by the concerned authorities.
#JusticeforZainab has been the top trend on social media ever since the story broke out and people all over Pakistan have justifiably been angry about the situation.
People have expressed their anger on the situation with many calling for public hanging of the murderer
I pray for little Sweet Angel #Zainab Culprit should be given death punishment in front of common people. No court, No delay. Humanity is killed.#JusticeForZainab?? pic.twitter.com/MukV0zdNDX
— shaina naz (@naz_shaina) January 13, 2018
Whats the Best Punishment for Rapists According to you.? ? #JusticeForZainab #justice for zainab #JusticeForZainab india #JusticeForAllChildren
— Ateeb Khawaja (@kh_ateeb) January 13, 2018
This is called punishment of raping & murdering a child. Publicly hanging of rapist of 7 yrs old child by the Iranian Govt. Here in Pak it’s all politics, fraud, bluff, drama, hypocrisy, incompetence & criminal negligence of the rulers. We want Justice For Zainab as in this video pic.twitter.com/Plft05YT7K
— Mobeena Khan (@KhanMobeena) January 12, 2018
This graphic demonstration took place at Shahra-e-Faisal Karachi by #Fixit that called for capital punishment of the perpetrator
Capital Punishment works great. Every killer you kill never kills again.
"Zainab Kay Qaatil Ka 1 Hi Anjaam" #Fixit protest at Shahra-e-Faisal, Awami Markaz to demand #JusticeForZainab pic.twitter.com/3jiRjVFcCV
— Dr. Aliya Kareem (@DrAliya7) January 12, 2018
The whole rhetoric being that the perpetrator be executed in an exemplary manner so that such incidents don’t take place in future has resonated with many people. Often time in Pakistan, especially with sensitive cases like these the culprits, are able to roam free. Some blame the bureaucracy of the justice system, corruption within the system or even pure negligence and lack of interest by the concerned authorities.
Considering that just over two years there are 700 reported cases of child abuse in Kasur with no concrete action being taken by the Government, the public’s frustration is understandable in this regard. That being said, vigilante justice and mob mentality always end up being counterproductive to the cause.
Mira Hashmi, an educationist and media personality, reminded in a very important message how ‘lynch mob mentality’ has served us in the past
People calling for blood at any cost, one 'rapist' already killed in 'encounter' – before cheering on the lynch mob mentality, take a moment to remember these two victims of the collective lust for instant mob justice. This is why due process is a thing, and a crucial one. pic.twitter.com/ENSbBWxw1t
— CeciN'estPasUneTweet (@monadarling) January 11, 2018
Just to refresh your memory, back in 2010 a video surfaced on social media wherein brother Mughees and Muneeb Butt were beaten to death with sticks by a mob in Sialkot. Their crime? no one is certain to this day.
“I can understand why it happens though I cannot condone it or even accept it at any level”, Mira told MangoBaaz
“As a nation we are frustrated by so many things, not least of which is a justice system which is lazy, ineffectual, and corrupt. People have no faith in it, so many never see justice. Police won’t do their job without a bribe, courts will drag on cases for years and decades, or ‘influential people’ will throw another spanner in the works. So mob justice feels righteous, it feels efficient, it’s an assertion of the idea that we have agency, and if we can’t get justice in the courts, we’ll play judge, jury, and executioner ourselves. This is, of course, hugely problematic, not just because innocent people like Muneeb and Mughees get caught in the crossfire, but also because it is NOT the way to being a progressive, modern, civilized peoples and state, of which due process is a crucial and indispensable element” she added.
Mira’s tweet gave a lot of people goosebumps, for all the right reasons
This incident is still so fresh in my mind . These two boys with dreams how everything in an instant was taken away from them . May their innocent souls always Rest In Peace ameen
— Gul.z.owais (@Gulzpir) January 11, 2018
The day these boys were lynched to death by a mob, I felt that we had hit rock-bottom as a society. We then saw the Kasur videos and now #JusticeForZainab. Justice needs to be served and and seen as such.
— Riz1 ?? (@rizwanjanjua) January 11, 2018
ohh these two boys..how they were brutally lynched…we forget every incident and wait for the next one to happen
— S- (@Namaloom00) January 11, 2018
The day when this mob of animals killed these brother, my patriotism just died.
— . (@saneeakbar) January 11, 2018
We hope that justice is served without any hurdles in Zainab’s case. But we also hope that we as a society are able to keep are humanity alive in times like these.