It has been 33 months and 976 days since a little girl Priya Kumari, disappeared. News like this rarely makes a big headline in Pakistan’s elite media, nor do elite politicians seem concerned about it. Because every day, children are kidnapped and are sexually abused. In 2023 alone, there were 1,930 reported cases in Pakistan, according to the child protection organization, Sahil.
When the state fails to end such crime, people start behaving as though nothing has happened – unless such cases make their way to media or social media. This has happened to Priya’s case, where parents have been knocking on each door in the state since August 19, 2021; a girl was abducted from Sukkur, Sindh province. She was seven years when was kidnapped.
A video of her mother weeping and pleading for the recovery of her little daughter was widely circulated. Only a mother knows the pain of having her child kidnapped. Despite their efforts, the parents’ pleas have so far led to nothing.
A recent development emerged when the case has been taken to social media and once again, the mother’s plea made everyone sad. Afterward, the provincial government decided to form a committee and vowed to recover her.
So far, raising hope in the case when SSP Amjad Shah, who is on the committee related to Priya’s recovery, is seen saying on the TV program: “She is alive and we can conceivably recover her.” As for now, she has not been recovered. The responsible police officer when making such claims, it means authorities in the Sindh government know where the girl is.
Then why are parents made to wait? Who has more authority than the law in the state, that this authority does not let Priya rejoin her parents?
The Sindh government, whose political party, PPP, has the saying: “Democracy is the best revenge” – such a saying becomes hollow when poor citizens do not even get a drop of justice. PPP’s senior member and National Assembly member, Khursheed Shah, at his press conference in Sukkur, got angered and asked why only Priya Kumari’s case was being highlighted. Instead, he should have explained why his government, which has been in power for more than a decade, has not brought her back. And it’s not just Priya – data shows 260 children have been missing since the last year. What has his government done for their protection?
His words just rubbed salt into the wounds of every parent whose children go missing. It’s surprising to see that his party did not hold him accountable for his heartless comment. Perhaps, his statement does not create obstacles for government, which is why his words go unnoticed.
By recovering Priya can restore faith in justice and parents whose children are still missing can raise their hope from hopelessness. The Sindh government has a responsibility to protect its citizens – at the very least, it should honor its own saying, “Democracy is the best revenge.” This kind of saying sounds meaningful when it delivers justice and brings Priya back to her parents; otherwise, it is just empty words.
