ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to file a review petition over the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s verdict which acquitted Shahrukh Jatoi and his accomplices in the 2012 Shahzeb Khan’s murder case.
The apex court acquitted Jatoi and his accomplices a day earlier when Latif Khosa, the counsel for Jatoi noted that Shahzeb’s parents had pardoned Jatoi and his accomplices and there was no point in lingering the proceedings.
About addition of section 7-ATA (Anti-Terrorism Act) that forbids acquittal of the accused despite pardon is granted by the victim’s family, Khosa said his clients had no intention to spread terror, therefore they deserved to be set free.
Subsequently, the court acquitted all four of them.
Jatoi, the son of a feudal landlord of Sindh, had gunned down Shahzeb Khan in Karachi’s defence area over a petty dispute.
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had handed death sentence to Jatoi and his accomplice, Siraj Ali Talpur.
His two other accomplices Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were awarded life sentences.
'Pakistan’s AG office to file review'
Since the Supreme Court’s verdict, Pakistan’s government and courts are under tremendous public pressure for “allowing the murderers go Scot-free” and for failing to administer justice.
There is a strong public reaction against the decision and the netizens have vented their anger on social media forcing the government to announce it would go against the verdict.
In this regard, the Attorney General office has written a letter drawing the apex court’s attention to the federal government’s decision to review the petition and stated that the opinion of the AG was not sought by the august court before giving the verdict.
The letter further says that the Supreme Court has already declared this matter as an important constitutional issue.
On such important matters, the opinion of the Attorney General has been sought on, and the AG office has already declared the Shahzeb murder case as a matter of terrorism.
While the apex court in its acquittal verdict reached a conclusion which deviates from the judicial decisions on terrorism crimes. This case is being reconsidered in terms of compromise, corruption in land and other matters, it added.
“The netizens, HR activists up in arms against verdict”
Former HR Minister Shireen Mazari expressed her disappointment over the verdict, saying she was speechless. “A brutal cold blooded murder of a young man in his prime & murderer goes free.”
HR activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir pointed out flaws in the legal system that, he believes, alleg-edly helps the rich go scot-free.
However, he welcomed the AG office’s announcement of filing review against the verdict hop-ing justice would prevail.
Digital rights activist Nighat Dad also expressed her resentment in a tweet recalling another mur-derer was set free not too long ago for killing his sister celebrated figure Qandeel Baloch.
“Here we are talking about high profile cases heavily reported in national and international media for number of years, both murderers are acquitted at the end, imagine the miseries of victims whose cases don’t come under the lime light at all,” said she in her tweet.
