The heart wrenching incident when wedding guests continued feasting while the body of a vendor lay around shows the moral decay and loss of humanity in our society. The harrowing incident shows how we have deranged as a society with no sympathy for lives of others.
The incident happened in Kasur where a rice cracker vendor was tortured by wedding guests on accusations of pickpocketing. What is more bizarre is that the guests continued to enjoy their meal and things went around as usual with the body of the man lying on the floor. A video of the incident received heavy criticism on social media over the callous attitude of the wedding guests. After a hue and action, police sprang into action and arrested a dozen people but no action could be taken against the bystanders.
The incident also brings the town of Kasur once again in the spotlight. It gained notoriety for various incident of sexual abuse of children, including the brutal rape and murder of minor girl Zainab in 2018. The case caused nationwide outrage and forced the government to review laws which have been strengthened but unable to reduce the incidents of sexual abuse. Earlier, there were reports that hundreds of minor boys were filmed in child pornography racket in Kasur. It was considered the largest child abuse scandal in Pakistani’s history but it eventually brushed aside on fears of implicating local authorities.
The handling of such cases and failure to provide justice has led to such crimes being committed with impunity. Whether it’s the killing of the poor vendor or incidents of sexual abuse, the reality remains that society has reached its lowest ebb. There are incidents of torture, rape, abduction and abuse of men, women and children on a regular basis.
The prime minister has raised concern over the rising sexual crimes and vulgarity in the country but has taken a simplified view of the cause by blaming social media and a permissive society. It is our collective responsibility to protect our moral, cultural and religious values which emphasize on peace, humanity and brotherhood. These values are under threat and can unwrap the entire social fabric of our society.
