It is no longer enough to condemn police brutality. We must speak out against the use of torture as a policing technique in Pakistan. The negation of the rights and dignity of one citizen is the negation of the rights and dignity of every citizen. This is because it is not the human being who has been violated, but the principles that guarantee you and I protection that have been undermined. Unless we view tortured bodies as personal insult to all of us, we will let the Salahuddins and Amir Masihs die brutal death, their cases quickly removed from public memory after the news cycle. Let them haunt our conscience until we decide to fight against this inhumane policing system. Therefore, we urge all to join this protest against police high handedness. The only thing more painful than torture is public silence after the event. Let us redeem our humanity by speaking out against the intolerable attitude of the Punjab Police and demand sweeping reforms.
NAVEED ABBAS MAITLO
Islamabad
