SIALKOT:
A day after an anti-terrorism court issued a strong verdict in the Sialkot lynching case, the family of the murdered brothers has demanded an apology from the information minister for attempting to influence the case.
“Firdous Ashiq Awan had tried to influence the case in favour of the killers by staging rallies and meetings in Buttar village,” the family’s lawyer Shakeel Thakur told a press conference in Sialkot on Wednesday. “She must now apologise as the court has declared the boys innocent.”
He said the current investigation officer in Sialkot Muneef Nasir Qureshi had no link with the case but he was trying to get involved by issuing statements against Mughees and Muneeb Butt. He demanded that the Punjab police chief should immediately transfer Qureshi and initiate an inquiry against him.
Death threats
For the family, who praised the verdict and thanked the Supreme Court for taking suo motu notice twice to take the case to its logical end, the ordeal hasn’t yet ended. Family members say they are facing threats to their lives and have demanded police protection.
“Relatives of the accused, during the proceedings of this case, have been contacting us. Unidentified people have also been threatening us that they will harm our other kids if a verdict was issued against them. We didn’t give an affidavit to forgive any accused because this was a case for all those who had sided with us and we had no right to give relief to anybody on our own,” the brothers’ uncle Khwaja Amjad told The Express Tribune.
Sajjad Butt, father of Mughees and Muneeb, has appealed to the Punjab chief minister for security for his family.
“This verdict is the victory of truth. My family and I went through immense pressure and mental torture for 13 months and five days [the duration of court proceedings]. Two of my nephews were attacked and my deceased sons were accused of all sorts of crimes,” said Sajjad. “We have nothing against the people of Buttar village [but] we would never have pardoned the killers for any kind of compensation.”
Amjad also demanded that the government should explain the lapses in the system which caused the case to linger on for over a year.
(With additional reporting by Ali Usman in Lahore)
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2011.
COMMENTS (8)
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Fidous Ashiq Awan is total crap, acting for her political gains.
Otherwise,
It was nice to hear that those who acted like animals (village people) got what they deserved. Justice has been served
Police was the biggest culprit, being impotent. if they were worth it, situation would have been different. Justice is half-served. They should have got life sentence.
Mughees & Muneeb also killed two innocent souls when they tried to flee while robbing (Bilal and kid Zeeshan). Court should have stated that too in an appropriate way for satisfaction of berieved families. Justice is not served for their poor families.
May Allah bless us. May our Police be worth it, for what they work and Judiciary be more exemplary. Amen
I think police officials got away easy with just 3 years of jail time.
I had doubts about the killed boys after certain media reports. Now, sInce the Supreme Court has given its verdict, I think it should be settled for good that the boys were innocent and a great crime was committed the day when they were brutally murdered.
I didnt know this happended in the first place...but i saw in the newspaper today about the verdict...and i am super-hapy for death sentence(cant believe im saying this)..but the only one thing i am not satisfied with the court verdict is the sentencing of policemen only for 3 years...they are employed and get paid to protect the innocent and to take control of this kind of situation and maybe they are scared of the mob but that dont excuse them from them being just another spectator..so they deserve a life imprisionment as well..
My heart goes to these two brothers...poor innocent brothers ..i can imagine how desperate,how scared and mortified they must have been..May their soul rest in peace and i hope their families are well-looked after !!!
We the Pakistanis being true Muslims should demonstrate solidarity with the victim family and strengthen them as well as justice in our society. there is a theme of "Hadees or Ayah" which explains that those who did justice while they are in power will be entered into Paradis "Jannat ul Firdous" before martyr " Shaheed". this is the reward from Almighty Allah.
so every pakistani is responsible and should be clear about the verdict which justifies the innocence of the Boys.
Extremely sad case. .. All our heart and wishes go to the victim’s family. The horrible incidence is a glimpse into the twisted state of the nation. ..... When people can kill and police can watch it’s a testament to how numb and desensitized we have become as people. ..... Can only pray and wish the nation rebuilds after the devastating decade which has taken away our humanity