Politics: Brothers Murdered in Sialkot…already forgotten?

10/02/2010

The brutal killing of two brothers in Sialkot, Pakistan took place the day following Pakistan’s Independence Day in 2010. On August 15, two brothers from the Butt family were beaten to death. Many bystanders merely stood in a crowd and watched the brutal killing of the brothers. Those who beat them were locals and those who supported the killers were the police of that locality.

When I first stumbled upon a video on this case, I could not believe that this was taking place in this day and age. It was shocking, disappointing, and very disheartening. I had truly started to lose hope in humanity. Pakistan was in shambles as it had just faced the most devastating flood in its history, and while the world was already hesitant to give any sort of financial support to Pakistan due to its poor international reputation, this case had arisen more anger and disbelief.

There are many details around the case of the Butt brothers which were fabricated to place false accusations on the deceased in order to defend the DPO of Sialkot. Some stories went along the lines of the brothers being robbers who were approached by a mob who wanted to punish them; others were of the brothers being killers who murdered the milk man. A further claim was that the boys had an argument over a cricket game and that the other party falsely accused the brothers of being thieves that the locals were searching for. In any event, after their death a court procedure had proven them innocent of all accusations, and this shows that the ever-so-hyped mob mentality led to the death of these innocent young boys.

The police in Sialkot were accomplices to the crime as they encouraged the killers to continue beating the boys till they gave up on the battle with their lives. After they were beaten and killed, they were hung at a central point in town and then their bodies were paraded around the city on an open trailer. Following the events of the shocking deaths, a federal minister of Pakistan accused the boys of being thieves in an attempt to justify the actions of the police. The killing of the two teenage boys was purely a humanitarian issue, and with the help of Pakistan’s dirty politics, it turned into a political one.

After recognizing this fact, protest took place around the globe as well as in Pakistan against the Pakistani government. These protests were namely organized by youth who were displeased and disgusted by the actions of the killers, the bystanders, and the government who dealt with the issue very poorly. The goal of these protests was to put national and international pressure on the Pakistani government to take a firm stand and guarantee that justice be served. This case temporarily caused uproar as the events that took place were recorded on camera and the media picked up on it. Videos on youtube spread like wildfire and this was an avenue of showing the world what had happened. This brutal act was publicized only because there was video recording, but it is true that there are many such events that take place, if not worse ones that everyone fails to notice due to the fact that they are hidden.

Pakistan was a country that was founded on the name of Islam, and today it is everything but an Islamic nation. Although I pointed out that the death of the boys was a purely humanitarian issue, the involvement of the police and the federal ministers have politicized the case, and it is the job of the justice system to work with the Pakistani government to find the boys and their families justice. Pakistan is a nation that has crumbled ever so quickly due to various socio-political issues. If those that make up the nation do not stand up against injustice, in and outside of Pakistan, then the day that Pakistan is wiped off of the map is not too far.

Comments

Qasim Cheema

10/06/2010 7:06am

Salam!

Sorry for being a cynic and bit blunt but imao; i think this article suffers from all usual generalities, reconstructed assumptions and over-simplifications that has brought us to this tragedy in the first place.

1- This article is clearly motivated by emotions stirred by graphic images of youtube videos and dwells in historic amnesia. while emotions are important. i would like to remind everyone that this is not the first case of mob execution in Pakistan.(not even the first high-profile one either). So if we are fighting for justice first we must justly acknowledge that all the other mob executions were wrong and show similar emotions and distain for all of them.(cuz i have seen apologists in other cases where executed people were criminals) i am emphasizing this point because if you just take one case as a show piece, what we get is a mockery of justice and not true justice.

2- It wrongly accuses the police of the problem. tries to show it as a conspiracy theory to protect DSP (police officers) and political manoeuvrings. What everyone fails to recognize is that police is also human beings and anyone who knows anything about police in pakistan it is that they are un-trained, un-educated, under-paid & plagied with systematic problems. even if you put scotland yard in pakistan there performance will be only marginally better give all the other problems faced by pakistan. if you put people in a wrong system, the results will not be suprising. the culprit is not the police or the crowd. it is the bad justice system that has been propogated for decades in a country which suffers from many chronic problems especially abject poverty. So system is wrong, that is the culprit and that is where the anger show be directed not weak people doing their jobs.
3- it would be wrong to blame the crowd for their actions because it is conveniently forgotten in the whole matter that in the very same day 2 poeple were murdered by 2 robbers and people due to lack of a proper way to obtain justice took matters into their own hands and produced justice as they saw fit. while it is not justifiable, it should be understood that when people are desperate and emotionally charged, then truth does become the victim. for this very reason we need efficient and just court system which is still no where in sight despite all the awe regarding chief justice.

4- while there are many other points, i will like to conclude by taking an issue with the statement "today it is everything but an Islamic nation". but excuse me which country do u call "islamic"; in your opinion is their any country on this planet that is islamic. has there been an islamic country on this planet in the last 1000 years (remember we are in 14th century). if your answer is no to all the above questions, then i think you need to stop expecting to live in utopia and come to the real word where unislamic things will exist in islam societies. Lastly, please stop being overly sentimental i.e. "Pakistan is wiped off of the map is not too far"... countries only die by loosing wars (study history) and not by extra-judicial kills. they are actually quite common in ALL countries.

hence a dose of objective analysis will be helpful.

thank for reading

Qasim Cheema

Aisha Chaudhry

10/07/2010 2:54pm

W'assalam,

Thanks for your thoughts. I see many of your objections as valid concerns, yet nonetheless unproductive and also somewhat ‘generalized’ as well.

The article obviously doesn’t do justice to the numerous issues it touches upon, yet it was written to bring light to the issue that problems don’t die away as soon as the media says they do (ie: when media stops covering it). Yes there have been MANY such cases, and many of them have been publicized, and I think it was pointed out that this is not the first or the last, but the fact that this was in the public eye is what made it a sensational topic. Bringing light to this issue does not negate the duties of all of the other issues of course, but it is a start. The protests that fired up globally, the youth of Pakistan who were enraged and ready to take any action they could...it was the recipe to the start of a revolution.

The accusation that the article is motivated by emotion is absolutely false. Yes the murders caused an emotional setback and yes it is only natural to get emotional over such a humanitarian issue, but to belittle the whole piece by classifying it as a merely emotional piece, I feel is improper.

I still strongly believe that the police is very much responsible for what occurred. Although you point out that they are just human beings, it does not deny the fact that they ARE IN A POSTION OF AUTHORITY. You point out that they are uneducated and underpaid, but how does this rid them of their duty of being upholders of peace and justice. Not only did they fail to stop the killers, they encouraged them and said it would be written off as an encounter so they should finish them off.

Similarly, it is wrong to rid the crowd of their duties as well. Although not under any legal obligations, all moral obligations would force them to take a stand. When someone is being beaten to DEATH in front of you, you clearly have the physical ability to step in and stop the brutality. If stand by silently and watch the show, or make videos as if it is some form of entertainment, I’m afraid that yes, you will be blamed.

Of course none of this subsides the fact that there needs to be great improvement in the Pakistani justice system. It has failed miserably in the past, it has been an issue in the media, politics and on the international face of Pakistan. If justice was upheld and precedents were set, it is more than likely that this would not have even taken place. So yes, the justice system is definitely lacking, but this does not justify the actions of the police or the mob.

On your last point, saying that there is no Islamic nation today doesn’t change the fact that Pakistan WAS founded on the name of the kalma. Whether any nation is properly Islamic or not is not the debate here, the point is that Pakistan separated from India because of reasons of religion, and if we cannot respect that same religion or practice it, what right do we have to that land? Hypocrisy and deceit…that is all that it is. Not looking for utopia, the fitna in every corner of this world make me a firm believer that there is no perfect place or real escape in this world, that is what the hereafter is for, but to justify the actions of Pakistan in the past and present by saying ‘no one is perfect’ is wholly unacceptable.

Lastly, stating that the day Pakistan is wiped off the map does not simply refer to the murders that occurred. I have studied history and I am aware that wars eliminate or create borders around nations, but my point was a little more complex than that. If Pakistan continues to be the way it is, with the azaab of the Almighty, Pakistan will cease to exist. We’ve seen a teaser by the floods topped off by earthquakes, and the political games and international wars don’t seem to shine a bright light on it either.

-Aisha

Qasim Cheema

10/21/2010 1:26am

Salam!

First of all, sorry for a late reply. KIH is not a regular forum I visit. In any case, I applaud worthy discussions; this being one of them. I did not mean to “belittle the whole piece”, if anything, my engagement implicitly acknowledges the importance of issues being discussed. My hope was to direct the talk to more substantive issues.

In regards to emotions; It is nice to have emotions but they are helpful as long as they are pointed in proper direction. The whole point about emotions was a comment to entire situation and reaction they produced. Pakistanis (me being one) are very emotional people. to the point that it takes over our proper judgment. But hey…Only feelings can feel the improperness of feelings...what does logic know about it eh?

So coming to the substantive issues: future revolutionaries wanting to “start of a revolution” should consider some basic homework
1- Does being “IN A POSTION OF AUTHORITY” mean being IN CONTROL i.e. was the police force in control of the situation. If you think yes then you are really naive. You should go for a visit in Pakistan. Ordinary joes are more armed and organized than police. On the best of days, a police force needs men, tear gas and armoured vehicles to disperse an emotional charged crowd. Other option is to use live rounds, which would technically qualify as an act of police brutality and would have killed more people than just two. If you think no; then they cannot be blamed for it

2- “all moral obligations would force them to take a stand” this is again very unhelpful. The crowd was doing exactly what you are saying…taking a stand. From the crowds prospective they were taking a stand. Enough of crime, lets do something about it. No more standing by when robbers kill 2 innocent people in broad daylight. Hence to remedy the situation, we don’t need moral obligations. We need a functional justice system.

3- If you are acknowledging that justice system is lacking, then please stop blaming people. Oh it was the police fault. And the crowd was bad, evil people etc. if you are disgusted by the brutality then don’t put the banners of “justice” coz this perpetuates more violence(clearly the crowd wanted justice in a very emotional charged way). As justice is the individuals’ perspective. Honestly, in the picture of your article I would have loved to see JUSTICE SYSTEM and not justice. (if you have time read a poem I wrote about justice: )

4- As per Pakistan’s rational of existence, again a quick read of history will help. Pakistan was not made for religion. (caution my personal view is different but for the sake of argument). ALL(emphasis All) the prominent ulema were against it. All religious people of the time did not like/support the idea because it would divide the muslims of sub-continent and leave Muslims of India at the mercy of overwhelming Hindu majority. It was only the secular elite that wanted to protect the political power of Muslims that propelled the movement.

5- “Not looking for utopia, the fitna in every corner of this world” this is a big debate and worthy of separate topic

6- As per meaning of Pakistan. It is an everyday struggle of Pakistan and there is disconnect between what we want and what we can have.

Lastly, I hope that the sincere wishes you have for Pakistan come true but the reality is just that. “I am not what I was. Nor who I will be”. So is the story of pakistan

-Qasim

Qasim Cheema

10/21/2010 1:33am

here is the link to the poem

http://www.facebook.com/#!/notes/qasim-cheema/justice/485332681933