Jaimala Maheshwari was a 23-year-old who was allegedly murdered in 2016 by her in-laws in Umer Kot, district of Sindh Province in Pakistan. Her brother, Dr. Rajesh, has been seeking justice for Jaimala’s murder for two years.
Rajesh sister was allegedly burned with kerosene oil because she was not able to give birth.
While explaining the situation from Doha, Qatar on the popular messaging platform WhatsApp, Dr. Rajesh said that after immediate contact with local police for first filling an information report, they were not ready to lodge a First Information Report (FIR), which is a written document common in South Asia prepared by the police when they receive information about the commission of a cognizable offense.
Rajesh said the local police were trying to lodge an FIR as a suicidal case but we were insisting to file it as a murder case.
Police filed the report after 38 days while making different excuses, Dr. Rajesh said claimed.
According to Rajesh, her sister’s case is in Umer Kot session court and until now, 46 hearings have been conducted. However, progress remains elusive.
Rajesh said that he flew to Pakistan infrequently. But Rajesh admitted that he traveled seven times in two years from Doha to Karachi, to attend the hearings of his sister’s murder case. While blaming his sisters-in-law, Rajesh said that in the beginning, they pressured him and his family but didn’t withdraw the case.
The National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) has taken notice of the case and seeks a detailed investigative report from the District Police of Umer Kot. But NCHR sources says the police haven’t responded to the NCHR after the due date.
Rajesh said that “the opponent lawyers using delay tactics while not appearing before the court and instead sent only a request for the next date of hearing through their clerks.”
There is a genuine perception that courts are now meant to hear high-profile cases like the “memogate” scandal and the Panama Papers that attract media attention and make headlines while other cases are pending, adding to the frustration of the litigants.
According to human rights activist and ex-senator Farhatullah Babar, the public feels that they are fighting an impossible battle. The local police are responsible for delivering justice, and the judiciary, which is responsible for speeding up the legal process and honoring justice, are not always concentrating on their jobs, as defined by the Constitution of Pakistan.
But one can ask whether the activism of the judiciary provides any relief to the common people. The answer is a big no!
According to the recent data of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, thirty-eight thousand cases are pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the highest and apex court in the judicial hierarchy in Pakistan.
In Pakistan, people seem, to a large extent, dissatisfied with the legal justice system. They have to buy justice at a high cost and after a long patient wait and delay.
In any justice system, the role of police is both crucial and vital.
In a country like Pakistan, the very sight of a police officer draws hatred and derision from the public. Pakistani police are heavily politicized and generally geared to serve the political bosses.
Amina Ali Alapiyal is a mid-career journalist working with Neo TV in Islamabad.
Gohar Mehsud is a multimedia senior journalist from Islamabad. He covers the Pak Afghan border, South Waziristan and works on extremism, human rights, and politics. Gohar now works with channel 24 TV as senior correspondent in Islamabad. He tweets at @tribaljournlist
