RECENTLY, an incident of alleged rape emerged in Lahore. The incident allegedly occurred in an educational institution. Following the emergence of the incident, violent protests erupted across Punjab. The violent protests caused incidents of vandalism. Public properties came under violent attacks, incurring huge losses.
Meanwhile, educational institutions remained closed for two days in lockstep with paralysis to public life. What caused these violent protests are self-serving politics, the uncontrolled social media and the rising distrust between state and the citizens. With the world being a global village, the mode of politics has seen a total shift from that of traditional. As the issue of alleged rape emerged, a storm of unverified and misleading information regarding the incident unleashed on the social media platforms.
It is pathetic that the social media disclosed the identity of the alleged victim. However, each social media post featured a different picture of the alleged victim. It seemed that the irritants on social media tried to exploit the situation for their own advantage by sharing the pictures of those whom they might have some personal issues. The element of self-serving politics, too, contributed to fomenting the incident. Instead of neutralizing the issue, the issue was aggravated fanning nationalism. As the youth are predisposed to react, so they did. Actuated by misleading information, a few unruly youngsters poured out and resorted to violence, incurring damage to public property.
It is palpable that those resorted to violence had little to none academic background. They were all inclined to violence. And, the rising distrust between state and the citizens also added flame to fire. The gap between public and the state institution was wide enough to bolstering people to resort to violence. While the attack on state institutions is condemnable, these acts also merit serious attention to dig out their causes. Among the prospective factors responsible for the attack on state institutions, what stands first is public hostility to the passive resistance displayed by the state institutions. It is a bitter truth that public agonies are not addressed adequately.
However, they are compelled to compromise on their issues, given the vested interests of the individuals at the helm. In the course of last few decades, violence has emerged as the prevailing national ethos. Public reaction to aggravating issues comes to be unbridled. A lingering question remains: has the public grown hostile to the status quo or is there any other factor that fuels public reaction? The question merits serious attention; otherwise, there will be the reign of violence. In view of the relentless frequency of such violent incidents, strict measures need to be taken.
The spectre of social media should be controlled, placing effective roadblocks to the spread of fake news. There should be devised a mechanism of ascertaining the veracity of the news floating. No piece of information should float on the social media but that counter-verified by the authorities. The recently installed Fire Wall must be strengthened enough to block spread of fake news. To address the gap between the state and the citizens, the working of state institutions must be crystallized in the mould of public interest. The prevailing justice system needs urgent overhauling.
—The writer is a law graduate, based in Gujranwala.
