Editorial

The right message

By upholding the sentence given to Qadri under Section 302 of the Penal Code, IHC has stood on the side of order

Editorial March 10, 2015

While upholding the death sentence, the ruling set aside Qadri’s conviction on charges of terrorism, which means that the killer of the ex-governor is not likely to be hanged any time soon. PHOTO: AFP

Messages are important in a society torn apart by hatred and extremism as ours has been, and the Islamabad High Court on March 9 sent out a strong message by upholding the death penalty meted out to the assassin of former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer by a Rawalpindi Anti-Terrorism Court in October 2011. The judges must be commended for their courage given the threat they face from the supporters of the killer, Mumtaz Qadri, who has assumed the status of a hero in some circles.

While hearing Qadri’s appeal against the death sentence and the grounds put forward that under ‘extreme’ circumstances, anyone can kill anyone, the Islamabad High Court rightly pointed out that in the presence of the blasphemy laws in the country, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for a person to take the law into their own hands. This was an important observation lost in the wave of obscurantist ideas that have swept over the country. The observation by the two-judge bench that by acting as investigator, jury and executioner, Qadri had gone beyond the boundaries of the country’s laws, is very important given the collapse of the rule of law we have been seeing.

By upholding the sentence given to Qadri under Section 302 of the Penal Code, the Islamabad High Court has stood on the side of order, and the side of tolerance. This is significant. While upholding the death sentence, the ruling set aside Qadri’s conviction on charges of terrorism, which means that the killer of the ex-governor is not likely to be hanged any time soon. He also has the option of an appeal before the Supreme Court. But the points spelt out by the Islamabad High Court provide an element of clarity which is valuable in times of confusion and can help us better tell right from wrong.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2015.

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COMMENTS (3)

Khalid Ansari | 9 years ago | Reply The message of the IHC seems to have been deliberately misinterpreted in your editorial. It is nearly the opposite of what it purports to be and it surprises me that the editorial seems unable to see anything beyond the surface. If this was not an act of terrorism nothing can be called terrorism and I think if we can't call a spade a spade we will never be able to find any solutions.

Sahir | 9 years ago | Reply This self confessed murderer should be hanged immediately. @Raisani I hope you meant it as a joke. Qadri is a murderer and a coward who killed an unarmed man and that's how he will be remembered in the history.

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