Lawlessness in Parliament Parking

Asem Mustafa Awan

Islamabad: In the hallowed grounds where legislation is crafted for the entire society, a photographer captures a blatant violation – cars parked in disability spaces at the Parliament House.

This vividly illustrates how those who shape the law seem immune to following it, assuming the status of untouchables.

While the common citizen in the ‘Land of the Pure’ faces abuse and threats at every turn, the guardians of the law engage in unchecked misconduct. Instances like a ‘drunk’ policeman in Lahore hurling abuses at the police chief highlight the decay within the force. Heads of departments openly acknowledge the infiltration of criminals, wreaking havoc on the common man.

Nationwide, people are dying in police custody or due to torture, all protected by a system that values human life little if at all. Open forums resound with complaints against police cruelties, with the force earning a dark reputation for extrajudicial murders.

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Inquiries into such matters are swiftly hushed up, buried beneath the bureaucratic rug, only to resurface when a new administrative hierarchy faces probes into embezzlements of funds. The Land of the Pure unfolds baffling incidents, none more telling than the photograph depicting the absence of law in the Parliament parking lot.

This image calls for a reality check, urging public representatives to probe and ensure the true implementation of the law. Disability parking is crammed with cars of the elite, who, besides their other disorders, seemingly suffer from a disregard for basic decency.

The common citizen, consistently subjected to harassment and checks on the road, witnesses a stark discrepancy between the preached code of conduct and its actual application. Despite announcements of fines for speeding, will this apply to the VIP entourage zooming past at 120 kilometres, leaving the commoner in awe?

It’s a small incident that sparked the Arab Spring, and history has shown the consequences of elite arrogance, as seen in the French Revolution. The display of getting away without consequences has persisted for too long; now, the commoner is watching.

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

Photo Credit: Sohail Shahzad