Pakistan

Prosecutor in Taseer muder case withdraws

Malook cites security concerns and lack of instructions from the government as reasons for withdrawal.

Express February 04, 2011

Prosecutor in the Salmaan Taseer murder case, Saiful Malook, has withdrawn from the case citing security concerns and lack of instructions from the government.

Malook said the government had promised to provide him with security while he was following the case, but has not fulfilled the promise so far.

Malook also claimed that the case challan was incomplete as the police have not yet determined if the assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was instigated by clerics to murder the late Punjab governor. He said the challan will remain incomplete until the case against the clerics is decided.

COMMENTS (27)

Almas | 13 years ago | Reply i just wonder when we as a nation will raise our concerns openly which can tremble the government for their ill doings and all other irresponsibilities! Egyptians, after 30 year of suppression are out on the road and protesting and we even being in the suppression for more than 50 years are still roaming around in the vicious circle!

Amjad Ayub Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply The hottest place in hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis. Dante (Benazir Bhutto used to quote this famous saying many times)

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Nughma Siddiqi | 13 years ago | Reply It is chilling to know that a cold blooded murderer can walk free whilst a poor Christian woman and a young 17 year old student must rot in prison for having purportedly "said" or "written" something. Are we a crazed nation?

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 13 years ago | Reply @vasan: I agree with you on this point but would go further to agree more that politicians or extremists have never invited Army to takeover the whole system of governance in your country. We in fact need to learn so much from each other rather than doing some mud slinging. By the way, all are missing anoop, Balwinder Sandhu and others who were very active on different issues facing both our countries.

vasan | 13 years ago | Reply I think all the ridiculous comparisons with India by various pakistani commentators should stop with this news. Just one last comparison, even Kasab who was caught alive in Mumbai had an Indian lawyer appointed by an Indian court who argued for him. And even he has filed an appeal in higher courts of India. And the Indian lawyer didnt flinch nor his security was removed. There rests my case

Haris Chaudhry | 13 years ago | Reply The masses of this nation demand justice and accountability and want outsiders (US, Europe and India mainly) to understand its position on all things from Kashmir and border situation to Babri mosque, terrorism, drones killing, sovereignty and sanctity of its borders, flood damage, crippling economy etc etc and to empathise with it. The emotional ones (vast majority) chant slogans, pelt stones, deliver emotional speeches in rallies, burn effigies to make other see their point of view and threaten others that dont agree with that point of view with violence: BUT They stay very silent when their own get murdered, raped, burnt, silenced, threatened and violated. Why on earth is the nation quiet when a prosecuting lawyer acting on behalf of the state of a murdered victim that happens to be the governor of the largest province of a ruling party resigns from the case citing lack of security. May be the brain dead of this nation do not understand this comical tragedy. The state appointed prosecutor that is prosecuting the murder of the sitting governor acting to bring the culprit that the entire nation of 180 million pure souls have identified as the culprit is helpless. Talk about the injustice, the pain and misery of the family of the murdered, the deafening silence from the power corridors and those that inhibit them, the mute and non existent response from the holier than thou silent majority, the intimidation by the loud, violent and hyperactive clergy to silence the nation to such a degree where the state appears to have lost the will, determination and capability to bring to justice a murderer who has murdered a governor in the open day light. I feel numb with pain and hopelessness. I feel angry and disenchanted with the attitude of the hypocrite lot that wants to bring the "daughter of nation, Aafia" back home with a zeal and determination but is silent to the pain and misery and the apathy at this blunder. Why do we call ourselves sovereign people ? Why do we think we have integrity left as a nation ? Why on earth do we want people to understand us and empathise with us ? Why do we not see how we are eating ourselves from within and sucking away any respect or identity that might still be there and determined to turn us back to dark ages of medieval time. The Public Prosecutor acting on behalf of the state to prove that the murderer which has proudly confessed his crime having murdered a sitting governor belonging to the federal ruling party feels threatened and the whole nation stays silent !! I am speechless... Our future is doomed. Haris Chaudhry

Aamir+Ali | 13 years ago | Reply What is to prosecute here ? Mumtaz Qadri confessed to murdering Salman Taseer. We should be at sentencing phase.

Zain Hasan | 13 years ago | Reply It seems they will keep this case in pending, and our news channels have got a better spicy issue about Raymond David so why bother about a religious murderer of Governor?

Aftab Kenneth Wilson | 13 years ago | Reply It is better to handover the government to those who are more powerful than the so called liberals. Government should come out openly and approach the people for fresh elections if they are not allowed or if they are not capable to control these elements. Street Power which is not necessary or has some nefarious designs behind it must be stopped. In this particular case of late Salman Taseer, justice must be done or next target will be the government itself.

Delirium | 13 years ago | Reply And this pertains to the case of cold blooded murder of head of a provincial government in broad daylight with all the eyewitnesses around. Hail democracy!

Schazad | 13 years ago | Reply PPP has lost its support by not supporting their Shaheed leader. I mean how could they. They are too afraid of Mullah brigade and as a matter of fact, it feels like everyone is afraid of mullahs now a days. The taliban in them have come out of closet already. No one wants to say anything that will offend them but they keep on saying and doing things what offend others. All this stupid discussion of two extremes, mullahs and liberals, is such a quackery. There are no extreme liberals and if there are then, they are better than mullahs, because I have yet to see a liberal killing any mullah. If people are not going to change their ways, they will destroy it by themselves.

vasan | 13 years ago | Reply What do u expect. A govt, that could not even investigate the murder of ex Prime minister BB and ran to the UN, obviously is terrorised by the religious fanaticism. The chickens have definitely come home to roost. Alternatively how to provide security to the Prosecutor, There could be killers among them. My guess is that the prosecutor may be afraid more of the security than the public. No wonder Mumbai murderers are roaming scott free in Pakistan as no one dare touch them

Mulla Toofhan | 13 years ago | Reply How can the Govt. be so ineffective in trying a murder case, and that to of a governor who was killed in office. All I can say is "Pakistan (si) ZindaBagh"

Wow | 13 years ago | Reply Actually it seems that PPP it self is behind Qadri

Sheraz | 13 years ago | Reply Great !!!!!!!! What can u expect from this government !!!!!they have their own level of management inefficiency which no one can touch ....good keep it up. They will take it as a complement

Ahmed Nauman | 13 years ago | Reply Kindly do justices with late Governor Salman Taseer

Qasim | 13 years ago | Reply what you want from CJP???? should he be standing as lawyer by himself??? Don't leave everthing to one person make him responsible for everything. if govt is not doing anything why should he be bothered ???? he made decision about NRO very clear,, what was the result??? you can ask the questions you are asking from CJP only if you handover all the system to him,,,, he is doing what he supposed to do,, guys grow up and dont blame one person your system needs to be overhauled.

Fedup | 13 years ago | Reply Guys we are living in PAKISTAN - land of pure corrupts head to bottom wht would u expect from this people who have lost all theie emotions....

Lahori | 13 years ago | Reply @Kumar, The CJP is interested only as long as the issue makes him look good in the eyes of the people. Doesn't care about anything else really. So dont even think he would do some thing here! The PPP Govt is to blame, if they dont stand behind one of their most prominent leaders then why would anyone else step forward. And the lawyers have already shown on whose side they are

BinYamin | 13 years ago | Reply What a shame for PPP and its weakest leadership. True leaders show the courage to take unpopular decisions at times when future of country and future of nation is at stake. Our future is being thrown to religious fanatics, terrorists and Taliban. We are being pushed back to medieval times. Un-justice will seal our fate.

human | 13 years ago | Reply @kumar CJP is not taking suo moto because it has nothing to do with potato or tomato prices in the country!

A Chatterji | 13 years ago | Reply This is ridiculous !!

kumar | 13 years ago | Reply How come the CJP Choudhary is not taking suo moto notice here, he seems to be doing a lot of that elsewhere?

Nahyan Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply As was expected, the prosecution will tangle the case in technicalities and the killer will go scot-free... This is real murder of Justice.. The concerned citizens demand action against the killer of Salman Taseer!!!!

parvez | 13 years ago | Reply Just goes to show how inept our legal, judicial and over all system of governance is.

Imran Khan | 13 years ago | Reply So where is that band of fearless lawyers which claims to have brought down a dictatorship? Why is Eatzaz Ahsan not saying anything?

feroze | 13 years ago | Reply What on earth is wrong with our government, oops rehtorical question what government. How pathetic that they could not provide protection to the prosecutor who is rightly worried about his own life when we have the mullah brigade running around threatening all and sundry that question there distorted self serving views on Islam. Another sad day in the "Democratic republic of Pakistan"!!

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