It’s the people who fought for justice, say Shahzeb Khan’s parents

Shahrukh’s father insists that his son is underage, says human rights organisations have approached him.

KARACHI:

Shortly after the gavel came down for a final time at end of the Shahzeb Khan murder trial in the Anti Terrorism Court on Friday, the slain 20-year-old’s parents said civil society had ensured that justice prevailed.  

During an interview with Express News, Shahzeb’s mother Ambreen Aurangzeb, said, “I’m grateful to Allah that I’ve lived to see my son’s murderers sentenced. It still grieves me that I couldn’t do anything for my child that night, but I feel we’ve done something for him.” She thanked the Chief Justice of Pakistan for taking suo motu notice of the incident. “Without this, we wouldn’t have been able to see this day. We’re also thankful to the media, DIG Shahid Hayat and Shahzeb’s friends.”

Responding to a question about the civil society’s role in ensuring justice for her son, Ambreen praised all those who had supported her in the cyber world or come out onto the streets to protest. “It was wrong to think that we as a nation are insensitive and selfish. Now we can say that our people are alive to their responsibilities and know how to stand up to anyone.”



Shahzeb’s father DSP Aurangzeb Khan, who had earlier claimed that people within the police department were pressuring him to withdraw the case and had threatened to transfer him, spoke about the snags he hit along the way. “But we didn’t throw in the towel. You can imagine how difficult it is to fight a case of this nature in Pakistan. During the trial, four prosecutors were replaced, but God was with me,” he said. “This case was fought by the people as well as Shahzeb’s friends. I couldn’t have done this alone.”



DSP Khan added that he had fought the case to ensure that nobody else loses their children the way he did. “Legally, it was good decision. I put my faith in Allah and the courts.”

The fight for justice has also been a tough and tiring one for Shahzeb’s friends, but they said that the trial court’s decision must now be implemented. Ahmed Zuberi, one of Shahzeb’s friends who had been at the forefront of protests, said, “We feel justice has been served. If Shahrukh Jatoi wants to appeal the trial court’s decision in the Sindh High Court, he has the right to do so. But we’ll stand up - as we have done so in the past - if justice is derailed. We want the death penalty to be imposed as quickly as possible.”

Another one of Shahzeb’s friends, Umer Mukhtar said, “He deserved our support because of the person he was. We tried to pay him back for being such a wonderful friend.”

The other side

After the verdict, Sikander Jatoi, Shahrukh’s father has vehemently insisted that his son was under 18 years of age. “The court cannot award the death sentence to a juvenile. We’ll not only challenge the decision in the local courts but head to international forums to seek justice.”

Insisting that his son was under the age of 18, he said, “We submitted two passports, a B form issued by Nadra and academic certificates, proving that my son was still a juvenile. But the medical board referred to fake KMC certificates which were ultimately used to award my son the death sentence,” he said. “We are also really saddened by Shahzeb’s death, but neither my son, nor Siraj Talpur are murderers. Shahzeb’s father, a police officer, knows very well about the real assassins. But he’s not willing to change his statements.”

He was critical of the suo motu action taken by the Chief Justice of Pakistan, which he thought, brought pressure on the trial court to pronounce capital punishment

He accused the media and the judiciary of being biased from the very beginning of the trial. “We made a hue and cry on valid points from the very first day, but nobody lend us an ear,” said an emotionally charged Sikander Jatoi.

Sikandar Jatoi further said that some national and international organizations and international juvenile justice observers working on human rights issues have approached them and they are preparing a case.

Course of Shahzeb Khan murder trial

DECEMBER

25th Shahzeb Khan gunned down, Shahrukh Jatoi escapes to Dubai two days later

JANUARY

7th Siraj Talpur, Sajjad Talpur, Ghulam Murtaza Lashari, remanded to police custody

12th Sikandar Jatoi, the father of Shahrukh Jatoi, remanded to police custody till Jan16

18th  Shahrukh Jatoi sent to lock-up. Ossification test ordered

26th ATC considers Shahrukh to be underage and sends him to juvenile jail on judicial remand till Jan 29

30th Shahrukh sent to Central jail. Fresh ossification test ordered

FEBRUARY

14th  FIA files interim charge sheet against Shahrukh for using fraudulent means to escape the country

MARCH

2nd Prosecutor Shahid Mehmood Arain replaces prosecutor Abdul Maroof

6th ATC dismisses defence plea to transfer trial to a regular court

7th Plea for trial to be held under juvenile law dismissed

9th Witnesses start testifying

17th Lawyer for the complainant objects to Advocate Muzaffar Solangi replacing prosecutor Shahid Mehmood Arain

19th SHC orders replacing controversial prosecutor

20th Law department appoints new prosecutor, Advocate Muntazir Mehdi, on SHC directives

26th Twist in the case as friend, neighbour change statements

APRIL

2nd Suspect Shahrukh challenges trial under anti-terrorism law; Three suspects allowed better facilities in jail

15th Law department reappoints prosecutor

25th Shahrukh’s plea for transfer of case dismissed; Hearing adjourned due to strike

MAY

2nd Nawab Imdad Ali Talpur, suspects’ father, records statement, claims his sons were at home when the killing took place

7th Defence counsel gives up eight witnesses and closes its side

20th ATC given four days to re-examine Shahrukh’s birth records

22nd Ghulam Murtaza Lashari’s lawyer says his client never teased Shahzeb’s sister

30th Lawyers conclude rebuttal arguments

JUNE

3rd ATC reserves verdict

5th Lower court observes Shahrukh has not come to court for FIA case hearings, orders him to come on June 19

6th SHC turns down plea to bar ATC from announcing verdict

Published in The Express Tribune, June 8^th, 2013.