The incident from Musakhel should not be dismissed as a viral video or a local ritual rooted in tradition. It is a test of Pakistan's justice system, its constitutional guarantees, and the credibility of the state's writ. It once again exposes how quickly informal justice fills the vacuum when formal institutions fail to deliver timely and credible remedies.

Eight individuals were compelled to walk on burning embers to prove their innocence. This was not justice delivered through evidence or due process; it was coercion filling the space left by institutional failure. What burned that day was not only human flesh, but the promise that the Constitution extends to every citizen.

Such incidents reveal a recurring pattern. When courts are inaccessible, investigations weak and prosecutions delayed, communities gravitate toward instant, coercive forms of "justice".

Pakistan's legal framework draws a clear distinction between voluntary dispute resolution and coercive adjudication or........

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