Crime and Punishment

6
146

The Raymond Davis case continues to dominate headlines and news discussions. What began as a terrible tragedy has turned into a ball of confusion thanks to a media that values headlines more than justice. But media conspiracy theories aside, the greater question that should be asked is what the term ‘justice’ actually means in our country today.

Let us not forget that another Pakistani man was gunned down in the street in broad daylight just a few weeks ago. And this time the murderer’s victim was unarmed and shot not twice but 26 times in the back. In this case, the murderer has been showered with rose petals and termed Ghazi by lawyers and journalists. We are indignant about the US government asking for the release of Raymond Davis, but we are also demanding the release of Mumtaz Qadri.

Qadri supporters demand his release.

Another killer was recently released quietly from custody also. This man is responsible for the deaths of untold innocent Pakistani citizens and was held in custody until only a few weeks ago when he was allowed to walk scot free. Actually, this is not the first time that he has murdered innocents in Pakistan only to be caught and released back into the streets to continue his killing spree. This killer’s repeated arrest and his release does not make front page headlines or dominate talk shows, though. His name? Qari Saifullah Akhtar.

Qari Saifullah Akhtar

Raymond Davis has claimed that he acted in self defense while being robbed at gunpoint. While all the facts are not clear, there is some evidence to support his claim in the guns found on the deceased men and the stolen property that was in their possession. But what claim does Qari Saifullah Akhtar make in his defense? He has left a pile of bodies in his trail, and still he enjoys his freedom. Raymond Davis should be punished if he is guilty, not because he is an American. Mumtaz Qadri and Qari Saifullah Akhtar should not walk free only because they have Islamic names.

We must be careful that we are not playing a double game with law and order in the country and using the Raymond Davis case as a way to take out our frustrations with the Americans while we let terrorists stalk the streets. In the Raymond Davis case we should hold judgment until the facts have been made clear and allow the law to run its course. But the law should also be allowed to run its course for the murderers Mumtaz Qadri and Qari Saifullah Akhtar who continues to stalk the streets.

Punjab government spokesman Pervez Rashid told The News that the authorities would “ensure that the killers of Pakistanis are dealt in accordance with the law of the land.” When terrorists seem to have more rights than honest citizens, we might be forgiven for not understanding exactly what that means.

Loading

Author: Mahmood Adeel

6 COMMENTS

  1. Adeel Sahib, All I know that if You or I want to enter Heaven we have to get the permit from all these Bigots with different titles according to the strength of Bigotry
    Unfortunately US Government understands only one policy in
    regards to international law and diplomacy and believes in
    Thou are expanable in my interest.It is time we should do away with Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal for saying obnoxious things about our ” Religio-Political Bigots” in whose hand
    lies our survival into Heaven.
    Ilfaz O manni tafawat nahi lekeh, Mulla ki azaan aur hai.
    Mujahid ki azaan aur parwaaz hai dono ki isi aik fazah meh
    Girgis ka jahan aur hai,Shaheen ka jahan aur.
    Here is translation of couplets from Bulle Shah should he
    not be dug from his grave and handed to Qadri to shoot 27
    times?
    You have learnt so much,And read a thousand books.
    Have you ever read yourself?
    You have gone to mosque and temple,
    Have you ever visited your soul? You are
    busy fighting satan.Have you ever fought
    your ill intentions.You have reached into
    the skies,but you have failed to reach whats
    in your heart.
    I do not go to the mosque in order to seek any qari’s God
    and ask for a permit to seek hand of a celestial virgin!
    I seek my Creator in my heart and ask Him to grant me the
    wisdom to keep a balance in my Emotional Intelligence.
    We condemned late Salman Taseer( May Allah Grant his soul
    peace). Should these religiopus and political bigots now
    make themselves more favorable to the holy Prophet(PBUH)by
    declaring Dr Allahma Mohammad Iqbal, Qaid e Azam Mohammad
    Ali Jinnah,Sir Syed Ahmed Khan and other thinkers who were
    not bigots be declared as blasphemers?

  2. I would like to comment on this very pathetic blog by saying whoever wrote it is no islamic scholar himself to statr giving fatwas against qadri and defending davis without any conclusive proof( why was davis carrying arms in pakistan anyways ?, after him answering this question can we ask him if he was doing that out of self defense), i think that the author of this article would also like to defend the drone attacks by usa on pakistan, which also kill innocent children alongside the so called ” radical islamists “.

    I would like to ask the author of this blog to give me the names of ten books of hadith, and i bet the only way he could tell me them i by either asking someone or by searching on the internet. So if the author hasnt read a hundred out of the more than 100,000 ahadith available how is he qualified to issue islamic rulings(fatwas). Islam is islam and way superior to any other code of conduct, islam provides all human rights that humans deserve, unlike in usa where one can rape do some time(and most of the times is relesased if its the first time) and get released, in islam women get protected and there is not a second oppurtunity for a rapist to do so again. So islam also has capital punishment for a few crimes, one being committed by qadris victim, i think 500 ulamah knew what they were saying when they ruled against him, i can provide detailed proof from hadith in defense of my stance, unable to do so while writing this aticle since i am in my colleges computer lab.

    If the author has some issues with islam and wants to introduce a maderate version of islam, that americans want to implement on us, as you can read in the report issued by rand.org, building moderate muslim networks. Then the author should think again as there is only one version of islam as brought to us by Prophet(s), abnd if the author still has some issues with the blasphemy law, i advise him to actuallt do some reading of the hadith, and advise him to stop writing such beyond pathetic, lame, useless, unislamic and anti-pakistani statements.

    note:- i would also like ot comment that west with all its cries of human rights, forgets to uphold them when its installs chocolate fountains in 7 star hotels and cruise ships for its customers, but it forgets to use that money elsewhere, maybe to feed the hungry kids in africa, dying of hunger.

  3. i couldnt agree with umar more, you see when you want to make a house you dont go to a mechanic rather you go to an architect, when you want o get a medical check-up you go to a doctor not an architect but when it comes islam i am quite surprised everyone becomes a mufti or scholar, people start passing comments and rulings even if they havent read 10 pages of the translation of the quran in the last month or so because people think you dont have to put in much effort to become an alim( watch javed ghamdi for 2 days a week and thats pretty much it, wow thats easy), the most basics of alims put in 10 years of study. But doctors do their work and dont critisize mechanics how to do their work and vice versa, so with the same token i advise these so called alims and the author of this article to do his work and let the qualified alims to theirs.

  4. you should study hadith yourself to see whether taseer deserved what he got or not, islam is the most peaceful religion in the world, but it gives no one the right to abuse its Prophet(s) or its rulings under the label of so-called ” freedom of expression “. People think we pakistanis and muslims are ill-mannered people i think otherwise, since i remember alot of christians abusing us and our beloved Prophet(s) but have never seen or heard of a muslim abusing Jesus(a.s), the bible or christianity for that matter.

    now this is reality, face it !!!

  5. Islam is islam. We are follower Quraan and Hadith. NO MODIFICATION OR MODERATION REQUIRED. Islam is a complete religion for all of the universe till last. Author must check the comments to see there is a whole nation unlike him.

Comments are closed.