I was moved to read your reader's letter on Rab (May 12th). She should know the pains of death at the hands of a criminal, having lost her own husband that way. While reading her letter, I was thinking that there was a time, ironically when we were not free, as under the British and even when we were part of Pakistan, when even in a nightmare, no one could dream that people could be killed contemptuously in broad light and there would be no recourse. Why did this change take place? The answer that no one spells out clearly is a simple one but one that must be made to wipe out this cancer in our society. That simple answer is that the killers did not spring out from anywhere. They were deliberately nurtured and protected by politicians in power. Once the politicians in power did that, the police took notice and instead of opposing this growing Frankenstein, they latter made hay over it. The politicians on the opposing side followed suit and created their own "cadre" among the criminals and thus the among of the politician, the police and the criminals was born, sanctioned by those upon whom we handed the destiny of our country.While thick with the criminals, politicians on both side of the aisle spoke of the need to deal with this criminalisation of our politics. That was lip service till the present prime minister decided to deal with it. The difference she made has been she has allowed the long arm of Rab fall on all, even those in her own party. It is true that under normal circumstances, extra-judicial killings cannot be justified. But then those who wrote those laws on human rights have allowed exceptions, like the Americans in Afghanistan and Iraq. The British have done no better with their laws to deal with terrorism. There is just no way to root out the cancer of criminalisation of our politics without accepting our situation as exceptional and backing Rab to deal with it. We need to nurture and encourage Rab and our
politicians can help by channelling their efforts to keep Rab neutral and above politics.
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