KARACHI: The provincial authorities have sent a petition to President Mamnoon Hussain, seeking pardon for the five Rangers personnel who were convicted by the Anti-Terrorism Court over charges of killing a student in Karachi in 2011.
The young man was shot at by the Rangers personnel at the Benazir Bhutto Park in Boat Basin area of Clifton in 2011 and was then left to die inside the park. A month ago, the petition to grant pardon and remit/commute sentences of the Rangers personnel under Article-45 of the Constitution was sent to the president, the official said.
The fatal shooting was filmed by a cameraman and telecast on various TV channels, sparking a public backlash over the brutality of trained paramilitary troops. Families of the convicted security personnel approached the prison officials, subsequently, the IGP Prisons sent an application to the Home Department.
The Home Department also submitted a summary before the Sindh chief minister, which was approved and sent to the Governor’s House. As per procedure, the Governor’s House has moved the summary to the Prime Minister’s House to seek opinion and submit the same before the president for the pardon of the convicted personnel.
Private TV channels reported that the president has granted pardon to the convicted Rangers personnel namely Shahid Zafar, Muhammad Afzal Khan, Baha-ur-Rehman, Muhammad Tariq and Manthar Ali. It may be recalled that a constable was awarded the death penalty and his colleagues were jailed for life for the murder under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.
The killing of Sarfraz Shah had triggered public outcry, prompting the then chief justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice in this regard. Subsequently, both the Rangers chief and the Sindh Police chief were removed over orders of the top court.
