KARACHI: The Presidency has begun to consider the possibility of commuting all death sentences into life imprisonment and has sought advice from relevant ministries and provincial authorities in this regard by August 13, revealed the former Federal Minister for Human Rights Ansar Burney.
Burney, via his trust The Ansar Burney Trust International, has repeatedly sent petitions to President Asif Ali Zardari, requesting that all death sentences be commuted to life imprisonment considering that a large number of those on death row are either innocent or have already spent several decades awaiting the implementation of their sentence.
According to press release issued by Burney, a notice had been issued in July by the presidency to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, the Prime Minister's Secretariat, and the Chief Secretaries of all provinces to present views on the petitions and the possibility of commuting all death sentences into life imprisonment.
The notice issued by the presidency requests for advice from the various branches of government to be presented to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs by August 13 for consideration by the government, the release added.
There are currently over 7,500 prisoners in Pakistani jails condemned to death, including women and children. Many are innocent and victims of false testimonies or circumstances.
Hundreds of these prisoners were now physically and mentally disabled due to decades of imprisonment.
The president has either stayed or postponed executions in the past two years, including that of Behram Khan and Hafiz Jaleel Morejo.
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I will agree with Asif Majeed we people need to think abot the poor and inocent people who are being hanged.I also recommend Asif Ali Zardari on this step.
I will agree with Asif Majeed think about the poor and inocent people who are being hanged.I also commend Asif Ali Zardari on this step. This would be the best month to take this step.
I'm surprised to see all the negative comments here. We all know what goes on in Pakistan. When was the last time a truelly guilty man was hanged? The crimnals and influential always walk free, the poor and innocent are usually hanged. I commend both Ansar Burni and Asif Ali Zardari on this step.
Hats off to both Zardari and Burney for such a bold step
I see lot of blood thirsty people crawling out of their caves. What is wrong with showing a bit of mercy? First of all it takes ages for a case in our judicial system unless it is political. In addition when a person is finally released after 15 long years he is not the same young monster he once was, assuming the judgment was right in the first place. There are so many innocents being put to death and this brutal practice must stop. Among the West only the US is a major power which still practices death penalty and it has not decreased the crime rate in the US which is much higher than neighbor Canada and European countries. One thought Ramazan is a month to show mercy toward humans.
For those who say that death penalty decreases crime rate you are wrong. Google it and read. There always more to learn.
Several times in the United States, evidence of innocence has emerged after the accused was executed. Our legal system is far more screwed. I wonder how many people we have executed were really innocents. I feel the death penalty should be completely abolished because evidence of innocence can emerge later.
This has aid written all over it, which Pakistan needs since the country cannot run on Gharait. Regardless of the motive its the right thing in my personal opinion, just for information purposes for those who link crime with capital punishment: death penalty has been shown to have no influence on murderers.
doing favors to his criminal buddies from jail... the votes must now come from unusual avenues, considering the PPP Gov performance in the last 4.5 years....
A sane move in years by PPP. My salute to Ansar Burney. Its about time that some one questions the laws that were made thousands of years ago. Good job! I do not expect a religious right wing regime to even think out of the box on this matter.
Then 90 days relaxation will be given at every eid and after 15 years all murderers will be free. Pakistan is a heaven for criminals under the leadership of a criminal.
Death sentences have been given according to Roman law not Islamic law. Constitutionally and legally President of Pakistan has every right to commute each and very one of those sentences.
our country has half baked Islamic laws. First of all Zerdari can not pardon any Person who has killed another human. It is the prerogative of murdered persons relatives to pardon him or her or demond blood money.
First improve the speed and efficiency of this country's judicial system - in this ridiculous 'Islamic' republic, you are guilty until proven innocent - you must bribe the judges for your case to be heard or you are condemned to life imprisonment anyway, whether you are innocent or guilty. This reign of injustice is the primary cause for this country's woes - from rampant corruption all the way to wanton acts of violence and rape.
The President before commuting the death sentence of every person who is on the death row should make a team to investigate as who is an innocent person and who have become victim of the false testimony or circumstances.
If there are prisoners who are behind the bars for decades and are proved by the investigative team that they are innocent or have become the victims of false testimony, they should be released immediately and without any further delay so that they should spent Eid holidays with their family members.
Coming back on such prisoners who are found guilt, it is the only right of the legal heirs of the deceased people to forgive them and no one else, even the President of Pakistan has no right to pardon such prisoners or commute the death sentence into life imprisonment.
In Pakistan the life imprisonment is for 14 years and by counting day and night, the life imprisonment practically reduced to seven years, but this does not happen in other underdeveloped or developed countries.
Bravo! A brave step from Mr. President in pseudo Islamic country. That is need of time to move along with world.
This will be challenged in SC. It will be easily stuck down since it is against quran and sunnah.
I agree with Pres. Zardari. Given that the police use torture to extract confession and that the criminal justice system is Pk. is flawed, to put it mildly, and many charges are laid out of personal enmity or for land grabbing etc, how can one be sure that the people on death row are guilty of the crimes of which they have been accused. The ones that are caught are always the poor, never the ones with influence and money and, it seems, never terrorists who murder people in the thousands. Further, surely there is room for repentence and forgiveness in Islam.
s large number, accumulated over years not just during ZARDARI time none of them has been punished under Islamic law,So a genral amnesty can be justified
this government gonna worsen the already bad law and order situation in the country.
President has got no right to do that, this is totally unislamic