Constable’s murder on road

Mustansar Hussain with his colleague Qasim was manning Khayaban Road in Lahore’s Defence area at a barrier on Sunday night the New Year Night -  randomly stopping and searching the cars with a casual gaze and a dimly lit torch in his hands before letting them go. His nerve-breaking hours-long duty might have exhausted him and he would be thinking about going home after midnight to hit the cozy bed when the New Year nigh rush slowed down. All his plans were shattered when a recklessly driven car ploughed into the barrier and then mowed him and his colleague in a matter of seconds. He died at the scene while his colleague survived the crash and he is struggling for life in a Lahore hospital. 

Road deaths do not make big news in Pakistan. For that reasons, police took the death of their colleague as a matter of his fate and a careless driving death case, which is bailable offence, and never reaches conclusion. This gruesome incident, however, was captured on the CCTV camera and its footage, uploaded by someone on the social media, went viral and unleashed public criticism on police for failing to do justice with their own colleagues.

Succumbing to the public pressure, police now have added terror and murder sections to the case, and also arrested three people, one driver and two other car passengers, in the case. Now, we hear the police are trying to save the skin of the owner of the car, who was allegedly driving the car. The family presented their faithful servant who took the death upon himself to save his master. As terror and murder sections have been added to the case, it is hoped that the police would now be able to glean the actual facts from the car riders and the driver.

The hopes of getting justice for the constable family diminishes in the wake of the release of Balochistan MPA Abdul Majeed Achakzai, who had also brazenly run over constable Atta Muhammad, manning a Quetta Road, on a fateful day. The CCTV footage on social media built up the momentum of resentment against the government for not taking action against the MPA. The pressure worked and the police were forced to arrest the rude lawmaker, who would taunt journalists at every hearing. After months of the lazy trail, the law of the land started showing its easy side for the symbol of road death. First, terror charges were dropped from the case. Later, he was granted bail. A jubilant crowd was awaiting him outside the jail. The victorious MPA came out of the jail. It seemed his reckless driving had mowed down the law of the land, not the poor road constable. 

Cantonment Division Investigation SP Dr Anoosh Chaudhry is certain that the deceased constable would get justice. The civil society, which has rightly devoted its energies to get punished the murderers of Shahzeb in Karachi, should also keep the road deaths of the Lahore constable and the Quetta constable on their agenda. Also, the Supreme Court chief justice should watch the proceedings of the cases.

Make the cases of constables’ deaths an example for reckless drivers.