A visibly distressed mother of slain Zain Rauf informed the Supreme Court on Monday that she had no means to fight her son’s killers who were very powerful and influential.Accompanied by her two daughters, Ghazala Rauf appeared before a three-judge bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim and said she had accepted the loss of her son as the will of the God and did not have resources to fight these people.And talking to reporters outside the court after the hearing, she rejected a perception that she had been under any pressure and asserted that she had not forgiven or pardoned the killers. But she said she did not want to pursue the case anymore. She also stated that her brothers had thrust themselves into the case as complainants without her consent. The attorney general of Punjab told the court that one of these brothers was seen accepting a sum of money from the accused party. Mustafa Kanju and his accomplices were acquitted after the prosecution witnesses withdrew their previous testimony. Justice Amir Hani Muslim also summoned the victim’s mother to his chambers to hear her story in full. He later told the court that justice would indeed be done and that the state would act as a complainant instead of the heirs of the victim. We certainly hope that justice would indeed be delivered. This tragic case demonstrates clearly how the powerful can manipulate matters to ensure they are able to escape punishment. The way the system operates now means that the wealthy can literally get away with murder. There are others like Ghazala’s brothers who seem willing to connive with them in exchange for money. The prosecution has claimed the victim’s family was forced to sign blank papers and was offered “monetary inducement”, while the woman told the apex court she had two daughters and could not fight “influential people”. The sad fact is that in Pakistan, when disputes arise between two parties, the more powerful one can and does use money, threats and violence to silence the weaker party. The state does little to protect the weaker segments of society from intimidation, often leading to a miscarriage of justice. The government must provide capable counsel to those who cannot afford a proper legal defence, while the police need to protect complainants facing pressure and threats.Unless the poor, the weak and the vulnerable are able to defend themselves in court, or freely testify against their tormentors, justice will never be served. In fact, if the current state of affairs continues, it will only fuel impunity as the powerful and well-connected will literally get away with murder, knowing that their wealth and influence can buy them ‘justice’ or ‘freedom’.
pk.shafaqna.com
