A couple of days ago I heard a rare good news regarding the courts. It said that the appeal of the coldblooded killer Mumtaz Qadri, which was pending in the Islamabad High Court(IHC), has been rejected. In a time where blasphemy is such a touchy topic, and the mere mention of it can get you killed, it is laudable that the IHC have shown immense bravery in hearing this case and giving the appropriate sentence.
On closer inspection of the case, I realized that the IHC had stripped off the Anti Terror clauses applicable on Qadri and had made this just a murder case. In the courts opinion killing a sitting Governor in broad daylight by shooting him 27 times does not constitute as terror.I and many of my colleagues would differ with this observation but lets just be happy that justice has finally been served.
I am not a huge proponent of the death penalty, but in Qadri’s case i tend to support it. Qadir represents everything that is wrong and wretched in this country. That people can kill whoever, just on the basis of an ideology. That rule of law are just words that don’t apply to holy warriors.
Qadri put one of Pakistan’s bravest sons into the ground, he killed not only a person but the belief that any law or statute can be openly debated and critiqued. Another aspect of the case that is quite shocking, is the number of supporters of Mumtaz Qadri, who consider him not a murderer, but a hero. During the trial we frequently saw scores of Islamists gathering outside the court and chanting slogans in Qadri’s favor, and in turn tried to influence the courts, which history has shown, are not impervious to public pressure.Thankfully the court didn’t budge.
Qadri wanted martyrdom and hooris. Lets hope the government fulfills his wish.
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