KARACHI, Dec 29: Over the past several months, various events have amply demonstrated the depths to which we have sunk as a society. May 12, Oct 18 and most recently the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Dec 27 in Rawalpindi and the ensuing orgy of hate it has spawned are all portents of our headlong plunge into the bottomless pit of barbarity.

Yet one particular event – buried between the headlines detailing the acts of murder, looting, arson and general terror that swept across the country and the city – was so shocking that it not only seemed to dwarf the other, equally devastating acts of brutality, it clearly demonstrated that in this society, the weak, defenceless and infirm are prime targets for the wolves that prowl our streets, particular in times of trouble.

Around noon on Friday, the day after Ms Bhutto’s tragic death, 150 or so unidentified armed hooligans stormed the Edhi Foundation’s village off Karachi’s Super Highway and started thrashing the inmates as well as vandalising equipment.

“There are 1,500 people who reside in the Edhi Village, 300 of whom are children, mostly orphans, while 1,200 or so are mentally challenged individuals. The attackers torched 16 of our ambulances destined for the interior of Sindh and then proceeded to smash the equipment. They did not even spare the children and mental patients and beat them mercilessly. They did not demand anything, nor did they identify themselves. They just resorted to wanton violence,” Rizwan Edhi told Dawn when contacted.

The Edhi Foundation – acclaimed for its non-partisan humanitarian services, especially during emergencies – also attracted the wrath of criminal elements when, during the bedlam of May 12, Faizur Rehman, an Edhi ambulance driver, fell in the line of duty caught in the crossfire in Malir, while the foundation’s ambulances were reportedly prevented from transporting the injured during the violence.

When Dr Syed Ali Wasif, a psychiatrist, was approached for comment on the situation, he said that if human beings are not controlled during such episodes, they can be capable of anything.

“They attacked the most vulnerable people – psychiatric patients, lost kids, retarded children and derelicts – those who were not capable of doing anything. People are in a state of shock because of the tragedy in Rawalpindi. They cannot focus on right or wrong. Maybe the issue was ignited by emotion. Human beings need social control, which has to come from society. Who should establish this control is a question that needs to be answered.

“Humans are the most ruthless social animals. They are capable of anything. The human species is most prone to aggression. When law and order breaks down opportunist elements exploit the situation. It’s a state of anarchy as anti-social elements are currently in control of society. The saner elements of society cannot say anything as they are not listened to and are not tolerated,” he said.