In what was yet again a horrifying incident of brutality against women in Pakistan, a woman was gang raped in front of her children on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. This heinous crime piling on top of many like this once again depicts how lawless Pakistan is becoming. It is, unfortunately, becoming a country where the rights of the minority are not protected and women feel unsafe to get out of their homes while the government remains inactive.

Like many incidences before this, this crime once again sent the nation in an uproar as it called for justice and demanded swift action.

However, it’s becoming increasingly apparent how these offline and online protests that last a few hours make little difference in improving the overall situation when the authorities remain unmoved. This can clearly be seen in the statements of the Chief City Police Officer Umar Sheikh as he blames the victim instead and shows great disregard for the crime.

CCPO Lahore Umar Sheikh is being dragged for his disgusting victim blaming about the Lahore motorway rape incident

In a recent interview on Dunya News, Umar Sheikh resorted to blaming the victim when asked for updates and progress on the incident. Instead of giving a strong statement against the rapists, he implied it was the woman’s fault for not checking her petrol beforehand and traveling late at night with her three children.

Pakistanis are angry at this display of ignorance and callousness from the top police officer responsible for investigating the crime

These words from a person in power and a position of authority are appalling. Instead of condemning the crime and taking much-needed action against it, if the police start blaming the victim and show an attitude of condescension and misogyny against a woman who has suffered a great horror, what does it tell us about the future of law and order in our country? People have had enough of this behavior and are calling for the immediate removal of Umar Sheikh

People are asking for the immediate removal of the CCPO Lahore as many are voicing out their outrage at Umar Sheikh’s thought process

Rightfully so, the people of Pakistan want CCPO Umar Sheikh out of office. If the people with authority do not empathize with the citizens, how can we ever expect change and justice?

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This is not the first time CCPO Umar Sheikh has made headlines for questionable behavior and people are bringing up his past record, saying a man of his caliber would indeed make such statements

Umar Sheikh has allegedly been known for misconduct by passing insulting comments for his IG, Shoaib Dastagir. About 50 officers signed a declaration to demand disciplinary action against him. He was also issued a challan by a traffic warden for talking on the phone while driving. And now his victim-blaming comments add to the rhetoric that he is not fit for such a high office.

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Even government officials and celebrities have started to raise their voice 

Waqar Zaka also took to Twitter to express his disgust with the Chief Officer’s comments. He explains how this mindset can prove to be extremely dangerous for women everywhere and highlights the need to remove this mindset from a sphere of authority and influence.

And Human Rights minister Shireen Mazari also commented on the statement of the CCPO Lahore.

Victim Blaming is a toxic practice embedded in our culture that needs to be eradicated

Unfortunately, victim-blaming has time and time again proven to be a cultural thing. When horrifying incidents of crime like this happen, there are always people who choose to condemn the victim instead of taking action against the culprits. It’s a practice that defies all logic and is even more dangerous when adopted by someone with authority.

If a person in power like the CCPO Umar Sheikh chooses to express this sort of mentality, how can we expect the average citizen to not walk in the same path? There is a dire need to eradicate this practice, starting from the swift removal of those that promote it.

Change has to come within us. We need to be more empathetic and sensitive to the plight of victims that suffer from these crimes as anyone of us could be in their place.