The question of having the death penalty is again in the news and its existence is being questioned. Various arguments are being forwarded to abolish the death penalty.
In the past couple of decades a near-consensus regarding the undesirability of the death penalty has reached across the world. However, no figures or countries are quoted to back the claim. In the US, some states have lifetime sentences, and others have death sentences.
Hence, even in the US, there is no consensus on the suitability of the death penalty.
The futility of the death penalty is questioned through the argument that it does not reduce violence in society.
However, the real argument is that a person has been murdered by someone and what law should be there to deal with that someone. Recently, there has been a gruesome murder of a lady, and the accused is now trying to claim insanity.
There have been strident calls in social and print media, by women activists and ‘human-rights organisations’ of capital punishment for the accused. The role of judge and jury is now being played by society in this case.
However, is this not contrary to what is now being advocated by ‘human-rights organisations’, abolish the death-penalty?
Also, there is a hue and cry being made in our media on Pakistan having a high rate of execution, since the lifting of a six-year moratorium on the death penalty in 2014.
But, to be fair, it should also be discussed as to why the moratorium was placed in the first place by those who matter.
It was unfortunate that our rulers, bowing to international pressure, stayed executions.
Justice delayed is justice denied. So these rulers are guilty of delaying the deliverance of justice to the aggrieved and acquiescing to the foreign influence against the Almighty’s command.
Generally, the voices from the other side of the camp need to be heard in an argument before lending support to an issue.
However, all the aforementioned arguments are probably forwarded by those who have never suffered the trauma of a near one being assassinated or murdered.
We have a habit of quoting international statistics, trends, opinions without discussing those analyses and numbers in our context.
However, there is validity in the argument that a lot needs to be done to improve the flaws in our legal system so that the weak and vulnerable with no access to legal counsel should be provided with legal assistance for a fair trial.
Similarly, there is a weakness in our judicial system which allows the rich and mighty to escape altogether or stretch the timeline of the judicial process so long that the affected party loses hope and exhausts resources to fight the case.
Hence, our legal system should be made cheap, swift, and transparent, and efforts should be directed towards reforming the system instead.