Sir: The Indian judicial system has sentenced the four criminals involved in the Delhi gang rape of a student on December 16, 2012 for the heinous crime they committed together. Compare this verdict to Shahzeb Khan’s murder case in Pakistan where the criminal, Shahrukh Jatoi, who is the son of an influential businessman, was found guilty and sentenced to death by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC). However, the parents of the victim have recently forgiven Jatoi and the other criminals involved in the shooting of their son ‘in the name of Allah’. Is this not a joke and a mockery of our justice system? This case has set a bad precedent, giving a green light to the wealthy and influential people to get rid of their opponents and, if caught, to give qisas (blood money) to compel the immediate relative to forgive the criminal as per sharia law. Though technically, the immediate family has the right to forgive the killer in accordance with sharia law, in Pakistan the killing of an innocent person is a capital crime that should be dealt with under the penal code and the parent should not be allowed to use the right to forgive the killer, letting them roam around the public domain to repeat the same in due course of time rather than sending them to the gallows.
The parents of the victim allegedly received Rs 350 million as well as properties in a foreign country. If this is true, it ridicules the governing system as well the character of the parents: they might just be regarded as money grabbers and not the saints who forgave the killer of their son. The punishment of perpetrators is an absolute necessity and should be complied with to establish law and order. The Shahzeb case also reflects the weakness of the government in taking a firm stand on issues like this and flip flopping between civilian and sharia laws. Sharia law should only be used for reference purposes unless the constitution is totally based on sharia laws.
MOHAMMAD ASHRAF
Winnipeg,
Canada