Ghazala Javed. PHOTO: FILE
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) issued an order of acquittal for Jehangir Khan, former husband of Pashto singer Ghazala Javed, after documents of the settlement were produced before the court.
Inamullah Yousafzai, counsel of Jehangir Khan, produced the documents before a division bench of Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan and Justice Syed Afsar Shah on Thursday. Yousafzai informed the bench that both sides have recorded their statements in the lower court and have reached a settlement, under which the family of the deceased has forgiven the killer. Yousafzai requested the court to issue an order of acquittal for his client, which it did.
Jehangir, a resident of Hindko Daman, Peshawar, was convicted on three counts. He was awarded two death sentences and fined Rs71 million by District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Tariq Pervaiz Baloch on December 17, 2013.
On December 20, 2013, Jehangir moved PHC against the conviction, making grounds that Ghazala was killed by unidentified motorcyclists and the conviction against him was not based on solid proof. The counsel of the petitioner made further grounds that the conviction seemed to be given on the basis of outside influence. Jehangir’s petition also says there were many witnesses in favour of the accused, who were sidelined in the decision.
On June 18, 2012, Ghazala was shot dead, along with her father Javed Khan, in Mohalla Nuo, Dabgari, Peshawar. Her younger sister, Farhat Javed, later filed an FIR with the police, accusing Jehangir and his friends Salam and Naseer of killing the singer and her father.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2014.
COMMENTS (6)
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Pakistan...kill someone, pay money, all is well.
"both sides have recorded their statements in the lower court and have reached a settlement, under which the family of the deceased has forgiven the killer. Yousafzai requested the court to issue an order of acquittal for his client, which it did."
In other words the victim's family was threatened with their arms twisted behind their backs with grave consequences if they did not "forgive" and reach a "settlement".
Just the phrase that "the family of deceased has forgiven the killer" speaks volumes that who the killer was.
Case closed.
Pardoning in the name of Allah, raping in the name of Allah, murdering in the name of Allah. What a culture? The Ghazala's soul never rest in peace. The family sold her life for money. The question is whether we require courts and prosecutors?
I don't know whoever killed the singer, but the job of judiciary does not finish by acquitting someone, on the contrary it starts by acquittal since this means the murderer is still at large.
Good, a "respectable" citizen like Jehangir should not be punished for killing a singer. What is the value of an artist in this society? nothing. In fact, the court should also apologize to this guy for detaining him for a few months.
Zindabad independent Judiciary