A chapter of militancy has been closed after the killing of banned sectarian outfit Laskhar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) chief Malik Ishaq and his two sons in a shootout after one week of their arrest. They were killed during an exchange of fire when the police convoy that was transporting Ishaq and his sons was attacked by his supporters who wanted free him from police custody. A total of 11 attackers were killed in the exchange of fire and six policemen of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) were injured. Malik Ishaq is accused of orchestrating the murder of hundreds of Shiites through a series of bombings in Quetta. Additionally, Ishaq was accused of having masterminded a 2009 attack on Sri Lanka’s cricket team in Lahore when he was behind bars. He was imprisoned from 1997 to 2011 and had been accused in more than 60 criminal cases, but he was never successfully prosecuted. In last 20 years, as many as 72 judges and prosecution lawyers refused to hear or prosecte the cases against the LeJ chief on ‘personal grounds’. The exoneration of Malik Ishaq in so many cases puts a question mark on the capability of the prosecution and judicial system to try militants like him, who are able to intimidate judges and witnesses as well as political leaders. The allegiance of the LeJ to al Qaeda and the involvement of Malik Ishaq in sectarian killings had made him the most wanted person by the law enforcement agencies, but he always got off scot-free due to lack of evidence. It was also a fact that he himself had admitted killing more than 100 people. However, the circumstances of Ishaq’s killing raise many questions due to the alleged involvement of the police in extrajudicial killings to eliminate suspects. There is scepticism about the official account of the killing of Malik Ishaq. It seems that the story is cooked up. It is very unfortunate that the judicial system’s weaknesses prompt the police to take the law into their own hands. It would have been better if he had been convicted in a court of law and punished accordingly. A proper judicial inquiry should be held to find out the facts regarding the shootout. The elimination of people like Malik Ishaq, who are the perpetrators of heinous crimes, is certainly good news. However, we need to rectify weaknesses in our police and justice system. As the killing of Malik Ishaq has triggered tensions in his hometown and other districts of south Punjab, the police and security agencies must be alert to the threat of retaliatory attacks. One should not be complacent that Ishaq is dead and therefore sectarian crimes are over. The organisation is there and functional. At the very least, a crackdown needs to be launched against the LeJ in south Punjab. *