Plea moved for abolishing capital punishment from Pakistan
– AP File Photo
LAHORE: A petition was moved on Monday in the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry pleading it to take up the earlier moved petition for abolishing death penalty from the country, DawnNews reported.
The petition was filed by Barrister Zafarullah representing ‘Watan party’.
Referring to the Constitution, the petitioner contended that the right to life was a natural right embodied in Article 9, whereas unnatural termination of life was incompatible and inconsistent with the concept of “right to life”.
The petitioner added that most of the countries had converted capital punishment to imprisonment to life and he pleaded that the same should be done in Pakistan.
Zafarullah pleaded the apex court to hear the cases of 8,000 prisoners, who have been given the death sentence, and convert those to life imprisonment.
Earlier in July 2011, the petitioner had submitted that as the criminal justice system of the country had been affected by overwhelming corruption in society, there were increased chances of innocents being declared guilty.
He had prayed to the court to abolish the death penalty as it was unconstitutional and save innocent people who were wrongfully convicted because of the corrupt system.
But what about blasphemers?
I disagree. It is unfair that a person can murder but still expect to continue living, hence disallowed by Islam. It is also true that Pakistan’s judicial system, like all other systems, is corrupt and justice is uncommon. What we need in Pakistan is a fair society which treats all human beings equally, as Islam demands.
A state should pursue justice, not revenge. An act of killing by a murderer should not be copied by the state. Capital punishment is a state supported murder. Pakistan, with its highly ineffective judicial system, where the poor pay a disproportionate price while the rich get away (with murder) is a candidate for repealing all its regressive laws that target the poor, women and the minority.
In a corrupt society where the accused cannot get justice because one is poor to afford a good lawyer or there is political pressure [ like Bhutto hanged by Zia] or other pressure on a case,Capital punishment is an abomination.
Wrong convictions do not justify the abolishment of the death sentence. It should remain. Kill someone and be killed. This logic behind this is prevention. It is fair and it is the only way to stop homicide.
How many homicides have been prevented while death penalty is still in place? Pakistan is a society where murders occur every day and will occur whether the death penalty is in place or not. With our weak and corrupt judicial system, I am in favor of abolishing the death penalty.
In Islam, the Sharia law for murder allows the death penalty, but is kinder than western law in one respect – after judicial judgement has been made, appeals are then allowed to the family of the murdered victims, and they are begged to be merciful. In Islam, it is always regarded as the height of mercy to forgive a murderer, even though one may have the right to take his/her life in reprisal.
And how many people actually forgive nowadays? Religion has given guidance but hasn’t forced that law.
what about real criminals? who has destroyed lives of innocent people, widows, orphans.
It is not justified that leave both (innocent & criminal) free only to say killer has basic right to live and killed person don’t have right. Ask opinion from suffered one rather than air condition class and so called philosophers.
Do you not think that confinement is a huge punishment already? One will spend rest of their life behind the bars.
The best interpretation .well said. Keep it up
I totally agree with the writer