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| India-Pakistan |
| In defence of Qadri verdict |
| 2015-03-16 |
| [DAWN] WHILE upholding the death penalty awarded to Mumtaz Qadri, the Islamabad High Court reaffirmed that "it is established beyond any reasonable doubt that the murder of the dear departed [governor Salmaan Taseer] at the hands of the appellant was preplanned, coldblooded and gruesome". While the part of the decision that sets aside the conviction for terror has attracted much criticism, scant attention has been paid to the verdict abhorring vigilantism in the name of religion while navigating through an issue as emotive as blasphemy. Pakistain suffers from inexplicable contradictions. Those within the left-leaning PPP who exhibited the courage to speak up against abuse of the blasphemy law, like Sherry Rehman, were left to their own devices when attacked by our well-nourished bigoted brigade. Governor Taseer was a PPP man. Yet there was an eerie silence in parliament when he was brutally murdered at a time when the PPP held the reins of power. Who amongst those opposed to our growing bigotry and intolerance stood besides the Taseer family during the Qadri trial? On each hearing of the Qadri appeal hundreds of fierce-looking protesters would turn up and chant pro-Qadri slogans a stone's throw away from the court. The courtroom would be swarmed with Qadri supporters and the environment would be so tense that lawyers standing outside expressing private views about the matter felt obliged to do so in hushed tones. Why were judges, prosecutors and witnesses not afforded security or anonymity in such a tricky case as is now being arranged for military courts? |
| Posted by:Fred |