User:Cmeatlark

Cmeatlark 17:24, 24 May 2007 (UTC)Man when separated from Law and justice is the worst of all animals

It was pretty hot day of summer, graduation and post-graduation examinations were going on, when I was directed by senior Professor to do invigilation duty at the Central prison- I was deeply surprised to hear that a prisoner wanted to do post-graduation in the subject in which I am a Lecturer, viz., Political Science- I exclaimed with wonder, invigilation duty in the jail. Yes, said the senior Professor, who was the then factotum. It was more than adventure for me to perform such an exciting duty. I hurried to get the answer copy, question paper and the signature sheet to proceed to the jail, for I did not want to miss such an adventurous assignment.

Having taken all the necessary items, I immediately left for jail on a motor bike of a young boy, who was waiting for the Professor to pick and lead to the Central prison. At the first instance, I gauged that the boy was engaged in the jail but soon after I came to know that he was the son of a person imprisoned whose examination I was going to conduct. The central prison is at the distance of about 3.5 Kilometres from the Govt. Degree College Larkana. It is quite a boring and tedious way because of massive traffic jam and more than those dusty surroundings. I asked the young boy, why a prisoner wanted to do post-graduation. He replied by doing so he would get amnesty up to the extent of ten months. He further explained that his father was sentenced to imprisonment for ten years on false and spurious accusations and further that he had appealed to the Appellate court.

From his narration and outlook I found truth to some extent in his story- a story for which I could not say it was concocted, managed and engineered one…..Well I came out of my deep thinking as soon as we were almost to reach the main gate of Central prison, then I realized it was not my business to intervene in irrelevant matters rather to perform my duty.

The boy on main gate approached the constable on duty to tell him the examination of his father. We waited for a while and then we were called inside the jail. On entering, I saw two constables sitting. The one entered my name, designation and address and the other made a body search of mine. I started staring him with surprise and to some extent with fury, but in the mean time I managed to control my sentiments about to be exploded. The constable told me that I could not take the mobile phone with myself. I grassed him that it was powered off but he insisted it was part of their duty to make it sure that no body entered the prison with a mobile phone in possession. Because I am a government servant, I understood the nature and extent of his duty. I surrendered the mobile phone and afterwards I was escorted to the office of one of the officers of prison. The officer was not present. After a few moments, candidate appeared and he shook hand with me warmly. He was a nice person with good personality and a man of good character. I delivered to him the answer copy and the question paper and obtained his signature on prescribed sheet.

The candidate started to attempt the questions. I call him a candidate but not a prisoner because he was at that time, not more than a candidate for me who was giving examination in the examination hall wherein I was an invigilator nevertheless the examination hall might be the Central prison.

Half an hour passed. A little feeling of boredom, undue discomfort and tiredness began to inhabit distinct section of my mind. I was really concerned with gratuitous discomfort and boredom. But subsequently I realized that it was in the college I used to invigilate more than thirty candidates but at the Central prison only one candidate. The time in the college was easily passed because of burden of number of candidates, whereas at the jail a single candidate is easy to handle.

To escape boredom, discomfort and tiredness I came out of the office and critically looked here and there. All of a sudden, I was just electrocuted when I saw a policeman sitting on a chair with bare head, buttons opened, feet out of the shoes, cigarette in hand, legs wildly stretched, shaggy beard, red eyes, who was surrounded by two persons possibly the prisoners. The one middle-aged person was pressing his shoulders and arms and the other young man his legs, it seemed that the policeman was in dire need of massage. In front of them was sitting a very old woman with folded hands! I just wondered, what was happening there? It was not the situation of shame rather situation to be drowned….. It was not a fiction rather a fact. The scene and characters were not fictitious rather original.

I was half awakened from my thoughts and real observance when a constable rushed towards me and directed me to be in the office unless the paper was over. I found my self under siege of wild animals and I presumed every one in the abyss of ignominy, and side by side Aristotle's saying "Man when separated from law and justice is the worst of all animals" took control over my senses and it lasted all the day.

I returned back to office and had a seat but the shocking image mortified me a lot. I tried to get out of dilemma but failed until a policeman, in civil dress, entered the room. He was not a frightening policeman but one known to me. The atmosphere in the room was calm because of my thoughts dispersed. The man inquired me of my silence. I told him it was because of headache and nothing else. He then served me with a cup of tea. In the mean time the candidate finished his paper and delivered to me the answer copy. I left the office looking here and there, as if I had lost something very precious and invaluable. A nightmare came to an end. The adventure came to an end. On the motor bike, the boy asked me of my mobile phone. I looked into my pocket but not found. He reminded me that it was deposited with the policeman making entries. We returned back and got the mobile phone. The whole way to Degree College was covered in jut about 12 minutes but I felt it was just a minute's journey!

KALEEMULLAH ABRO (LARKANA-PAKISTAN)