The Supreme Court’s decision to acquit Shahrukh Jatoi in the 2012 murder of 20-year-old Shahzeb Khan in Karachi has shocked people in Pakistan. The co-accused in the case was also cleared by a three-judge panel, presided over by Justice Ijazul Ahsan. Latif Khosa, Shahrukh’s attorney, informed the court that both parties had an agreement during the hearing.
The lawsuit was filed after Iftikhar Chaudhry, a former top judge of Pakistan took a suo moto notice in response to nationwide outrage at the killing of a young boy.
Around a year after the murder, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) awarded the death penalty to Shahrukh which was later on reduced by the High Court to life imprisonment.
Many Pakistani celebrities including Mahira Khan and Haroon Shahid have expressed their disappointment in the judicial system.
Mahira Khan took to Twitter and wrote:
While Haroon Shahid tweeted,
“Shahzeb’s parents apparently settled abroad after the incident but today I worry for the safety and well-being of all the people who testified against this monster. Will the honourable judges and police provide and guarantee the safety and protection?”
In another tweet while expressing his lack of faith in Pakistan and its judiciary he took to Twitter and said:
Shahrukh Jatoi’s case has sparked debate on Pakistan’s ineffective legal system in a nation where people have lost faith in the most important institutions. Therefore, Pakistanis think that our system is Machiavellian and that the only source of justice is power. Where the powerful do what they choose and the weak endure what is necessary. Will power and wealth always trump justice?
Justice is still pending in many instances in Pakistan, including that of Noor Mukaddam and Sarah Inam. Is this case a sign that our esteemed judicial system will also exonerate high-profile murderers Zahir Jaffer and Shahnawaz Mir?
The verdict delivered yesterday has given Pakistanis the impression that justice is a privilege enjoyed by the elite and that the judiciary and law are only meant to put the weak under strain.
