We have watched unprecedented corruption, crime and violence since independence in 1971. The whole nation has been denied the fundamental human rights to security. Lack of transparency and accountability in the system of governance provided opportunities for grooming crime and violence often under political patronage. The criminals and their godfathers always escaped, since police is inefficient and the victims and/or witnesses do not dare to become witnesses in the court. In other words, the infrastructure of law has failed to bring the criminals to justice. The present government finally amended the Armed Forces Battalion Ordinance to establish Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to restore law and order in the country. The RAB has already been a great success. The notorious criminals who thrived escaping the existing "rule of law" have finally begun disappearing due to RAB actions. These criminals killed many innocent people, were involved in drug and other unlawful businesses and extorted money from business houses and individuals, causing damage to national economic growth and development. They should have been actually reined in long before. In principle, this neither contradicts the constitution nor the rule of law . The question is, how it is done and for whose interest.

RAB action should continue as long as it is geared for elimination of the infrastructure of crime and violence. The government should declare war on terror; and institutionalise a legal framework, if it already does not exist for the RAB and similar force(s) to continue their actions. The framework must allow no room for any undue influence and ensure that authority is not abused.

The RAB is not a permanent solution. The permanent solution lies with political leadership. We, the voters, demand a commitment (in the parliament) by both the party in power and the opposition to eliminating crime from within their respective folds. They should practise what they preach.