Jaleel’s earlier convictions were postponed due to orders by President Asif Ali Zardari as the Pakistan Peoples Party hoped to amend the death penalty law. But with the new government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in office, Jaleel isn’t too sure if he’ll be as lucky as the last 21 times.
His 22nd black warrant was issued on August 1, after the expiry of 21st black warrant on July 31, by the Naushero Feroze district and sessions court. Jaleel’s earlier convictions were postponed due to orders by President Asif Ali Zardari as the Pakistan Peoples Party hoped to amend the death penalty law. But with the new government of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz in office, Jaleel isn’t too sure if he’ll be as lucky as the last 21 times.
A resident of Chanari village in Naushero Feroze, Jaleel was awarded the death penalty in April 2000. He was in jail for the murder of Haji Muhammad Haroon Morejo in 1997 to avenge the murders of his father and uncle. His first black warrant was issued on March 14, 2008, but his execution was pushed back two months. He filed petitions in the Sindh High Court, followed by the Supreme Court and the president, but they were all dismissed.
After his 17th return trip from the noose, he told The Express Tribune he had tried to tell the world of his innocence. “I am serving a 14-year sentence for a crime I never committed,” he said. Jaleel, a jawan in the 7th Sindh Regiment from 1993 to 1997, is a Hafiz-e-Quran. “Whenever a black warrant is issued for me, I start praying to Allah Almighty,” he said.
His version of events differed from the recorded facts. He said that his father, Abdullah Morejo, was embroiled in a karo-kari dispute with his uncle, Haji Habibullah Morejo, and some other men. The matter was resolved at a jirga. “In accordance with the jirga’s verdict, we married a girl from our side to the Haji Habibullah Morejo group,” he said. “However, my uncle, cousins and other people went against the verdict and raided our land. They killed my father, Abdullah Morejo, and uncle, Maulvi Abdul Haq Morejo. According to him, he was framed by his cousins after they killed their own brother. Haji Haroon Morejo - the man Jaleel was accused of killing - was suffering from cancer.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 5th, 2013.
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Meanwhile, our very dear Mumtaz Qadri enjoys his days and the love of thousands (if not millions) of people who think of him of some kind of savior or hero for brutally pumping an unarmed human being full of bullets. Mr. Qadri was caught red handed, even admits his crime but the state dare not sentence him. Oh well!
@Raj Kafi, Yes this killer should not be hanged. He should be given a very long imprisonment in President House like we did with Zardari. Haaa
@Farhan
It is good journalism to provide details, how and why and a summary of trial. It is shoddy journalism which is becoming very common.
@Nasreen Khan:
ET is not your personal informant. If you want details, go and look into his case file. Agreed that justice must be served.
the article does not state any thing about evidence against him not does it state how he was caught and why they arrested him. I assume that the police must have been bribed and he was caught in this completely innocently.
I hope that justice is served to this guy and hope to see him released soon
He should not be hanged. He should be given a very long imprisonment without bail.