By: Ghuncha Karim Khan
In Malakand tribal district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, despite the decline in homicide incidents in the past few years, human rights activists insist that most murders in conservative areas are deliberately reported by families as suicides or natural deaths. They also claim that law enforcement agencies often ignore such crimes.
Crimes have a strong impact on people’s behaviour and are the main factor that disrupts people’s social, political and economic life. It also disrupts the government and its daily activities in areas with high crime rates because everyone’s life has become so difficult that it is impossible to fully implement the law.
According to local media reports that political reasons such as carelessness of the government, conflicts of state and social ideology, lack of public rights, ineffective negotiations with militant groups, and legacy of past policies are some of the reasons spreading terrorism.
A 25-year-old girl was sexually assaulted twice by her brother in Malakand province. The girl told the police that her brother took her to Karam on August 9, 2021, and forcibly abused her in the hotel room at night. The unfortunate incident happened again on August 15, 2021, when the little girl was sexually assaulted by her predator brother. However, there was no response and no action by the authorities. There have been some related cases, but they have not been reported due to various reasons. First of all, no one will let them report, and even if they report, the authorities will not take action. Women have been killed only to cover up their illicit relationships.
Mohammad Zada was a young social activist. He had been speaking out against drug trafficking and elements carrying various illegal activities in the society was killed by unidentified gunmen near his home in Sahakot. Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmoud Khan announced that he has suspended the duties of deputy commissioner and assistant commissioner and ordered an investigation into Zada’s murder.
In October, a female lawyer Sheeba Gul and her father were shot dead soon after they had received death threats from land grabbers. Although the court made a judgment in their favour, the relevant authorities did not take action against the accused despite the court’s decision. The police began an investigation, but the accused are still at large.
Around 40 tourists were robbed by armed men in separate incidents in Karkanai place of Lower Dir and Thana Bypass in Malakand on August 6, 2021. The robbers escaped after committing the crime. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan took observe of the incident and directed the relevant quarters to cast off the two accountable for law and order. Hundreds of thousands of travellers visit these areas throughout summer and such incidents can discourage them.
The local administration, police and levies force need to establish a motive for such killings in a thorough and impartial investigation and hold the perpetrators to account. The authorities have to not only best understand and punish the culprits but also work to make ensure an end of the drug threat from this country.
