Unending Quest for Justice 

Pictorial Editorial

Asem Mustafa Awan:Saeeda Sultan refuses to be denied justice. She was five years of age when Pakistan was created. For half a century she has spent countless hours in the corridors of courts in pursuit of justice.

During this period many have departed from this world but her quest for justice remains firm. Torture and murder attempts have not deterred her from pursuing her cause.
Saeeda Sultan case is of denied ‘Haq Mehr’. Her claim has been repeatedly held by the law courts and religious edicts but she still awaits implementation of judgements in her favour.
‘Haq Mehar’ is an Islamic provision that has been denied to Saeed Sultan. She is not alone in this. There are thousands of others who are also being denied their legal and religious rights.
The justice system since the inception of Pakistan shows a blood stained history coerced by the rich and powerful to the demise of innocents who dare to question or protest against the injustices inflicted on them.
Saeeda Sultan is head butting against a system despite her ailing health believing ‘justice will prevail’. Her weathered face shows dedication and an unending resolve to get justice knowing that thus far the system with its usual rigmaroles have persistently denied her ‘rightful right’.
It is suffices to say that the justice system in Pakistan needs a radical overhaul, a new lease of life. Delays, lack of implementation, failure to follow through decisions and accountability have become the subversive features of the legal system crippled by the rich and powerful.

There is a long list of pending cases and decisions awaiting implementation. Such stories make regular feature in the media but does anyone really take any note of these? It seems not.
The Raymond Davis, Shahrukh Jatoi, Model Town Lahore, Baldiya Town Karachi, Sahiwal murders are just a few examples of failed justice.
Pakistan’s judicial system ranks very low in the community of nations. The stories of aggressors escaping the hands of law by greasing the palms of officials are frequent.
The case of Mai Jando involving self immolation by her two daughters in public to get justice depicts the horrors of failed justice. She cried for the first time when after many years she was granted justice and the murderer was hanged till death.
This is only one of the stories that has come to surface while courts in Pakistan have such stories in countless numbers where innocents are accused of wrongdoing and sent behind bars. Often they do not breathe the air of freedom. Some time their acquittal only comes after they are six feet down under in the grave.
We pray that the fate of Saeeda Sultan is that of those who have departed the world awaiting justice. Her quest spanning over half a century should come to a logical end and may it be soon.

The writer is a journalist based in Islamabad and writes on a wide range of issues.

Video Credit: ThePenPK.com