The
Islamabad high court, on Monday, upheld the conviction of Mumtaz Qadri. The
court finally did what was the right thing to.It was surprising to note that
the cold-blooded murderer claimed for the protection of his rights guaranteed
by the constitution but he deprived the deceased Salman Taseer of all such
rights.
The courts, however, failed to provide
complete justice to the deceased party. Although, the conviction was upheld,
but the Islamabad High court decided to drop the terrorism charges against him.
The court argued that the defendant’s did not attempt to create panic and a
sense of fear within the people and hence it could not be considered a
terrorism case. Lifting the terrorism charges means that it would not be an
offence to praise Mumtaz Qadri.
This
case shows immaturity on the part of the courts to not realize the deeper
connotation of the murder of Salman Taseer and treat it as a personal vendetta. The killing of the governor was not a
personal vendetta but was a message to the society that only a specific version
of religion ought to be implemented here. This action did create a sense of
fear among the population by showing that whoever deviates from the specific
version of religion would deserve death.
Furthermore,
this approach by the court also raises more questions. If the courts are not
ready to recognize this killing in the name of religion as an act of terrorism,
would other killings on religious issues also not constitute as terrorist acts?
By
removing the charges of terrorism, the courts have stepped on a risky path,
which would pave way for unforeseen consequences.
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