Oct 07 , 2015
News
SC gives historic defeat to terrorists in Taseer murder case: lawyer
Advocate Saiful Malook calls SC verdict a great job; Shehryar sees stronger Pakistan in terms of justice
Muhsen AliLAHORE – Commenting on the Supreme Court’s decision to upheld the death sentence to key suspect Mumtaz Qadri while rejecting his appeal against the judgment of the Islamabad High Court in slain Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer murder case, Advocate Saiful Malook called the decision a great job done by the independent judiciary.
Talking to the Daily Times, the prosecution lawyer said that the apex court confirmed the rule of law prevailed in Pakistan. “We can see how terrorists get historic defeat in the court and rule of law prevails,” he said. He also said that the trust of the people in judiciary has increased after this historic decision.
A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa scrapped a plea seeking to revoke Qadri’s death sentence. The sentence was first awarded by an Anti-Terror Court and was then upheld by the Islamabad High Court before being challenged in the apex court. The bench also accepted the government’s appeal against Islamabad High Court’s order, wherein charges of terrorism on Qadri was dropped.
– Shehryar expresses satisfaction –
On the other hand, Shehryar Taseer, son of Salmaan Taseer, also expressed his satisfaction on the Supreme Court’s verdict, saying the apex court’s verdict would make Pakistan stronger in terms of justice. “I am happy to know about Supreme Court's verdict on death penalty for Mumtaz Qadri,” he wrote on Twitter.
Announcing short order, the Supreme Court bench restored the ATC’s order. On Tuesday, the bench has questioned whether an individual had the authority to assume the role of a judge, jury and executioner after having accused someone of blasphemy.
Justice Khosa stated that chaos would reign if people had the authority to punish alleged blasphemers. He warned that people could misuse it by accusing opponents of blasphemy to settle personal scores. The court asked whether Qadri had approached the state with his accusation of blasphemy against Taseer, and whether any evidence was available that lent credence to such accusations.
– Slaingovernor pointed out defects in law–
“We have to look into whether the deceased (Taseer) indeed blasphemed or was he simply commenting on the misuse of blasphemy law,” Justice Dost Muhammad Khan observed. Justice Khosa added that no evidence had been presented that showed Taseer committed blasphemy; rather it seemed that the slain governor had pointed out defects in the law — which did not constitute a crime.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk