In a recent appearance on Hamid Mir's talk show Capital Talk PTI minister Faisal Vawda made some problematic comments which were quickly caught by people on social media.
During a wide-ranging discussion on subjects that included the 2019 budget, the economy, corruption and the recent arrests of Asif Ali Zardari and Hamza Shahbaz, the minister said: "If we hung 5000 people right now - if it was in our hands - the fate of millions of people would change. But it's not in our hands."
At this, fellow panelist and PML-N politician Khurram Dastgir Khan said: "He [Faisal Vawda] has turned out to be a fascist. Wanting to hang 5000 people is fascism. I object to this."
When host Hamid Mir suggested that those people be tried according to the law, Vawda replied: "If we wait for law and justice to be served 20 generations will pass us by."
While some may say that Vawda made this statement in an offhand manner, it points to a very real disregard for the rule of law, which is actually at odds with what his political party has endorsed in the past.
And even if this was a statement made 'casually,' isn't it true that elected representatives ought to be more careful of the messages they send in public?
What with Pakistan's struggle to account for missing persons and to actually bring perpetrators of crimes to justice, disregarding the rule of law is a very dangerous precedent, and others think so too:
