A few days after the mother of slain Zain Rauf told the Supreme Court she was ‘powerless’ when it came to fighting the killers of her son, the apex court observed the ‘shocking’ lack of faith Zain’s mother had in the State to dispense justice.
While suspending proceedings in the suo motu hearing about the acquittal of the accused, the court said it would not continue hearings until Lahore High Court (LHC) gave its judgment on the Punjab government’s appeal against the acquittal of six accused, including Mustafa Kanju.
Last month, an anti-terrorism court had acquitted Kanju, son of former state minister Saddique Kanju and his guards from charges of killing Zain, 16, and injuring another passer-by after the complainant and the prosecution witnesses turned hostile.
During the hearing, the court lamented over the State’s state of affairs considering a mother had been forced to stop pursuing her own son’s murder case. It also observed that the family is insecure and needs to be assured that justice will be served.
In its order, the three-judge bench headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim said the court does not intend to comment on any aspect of the case as it might influence the outcome of the pending appeal filed by the state in the LHC, while adjourning the case with no appointed date for resumption.
Once the State’s appeal is decided by the LHC, the prosecutor general should intimate the apex court by providing a copy of the judgement, the court said, adding that upon receipt of the copy of the verdict the court might resume the proceeding, if it deems it necessary.
Zain Rauf, a ninth grade student, was killed in April this year in a shooting allegedly by Kanju and his guards following a collision between Kanju’s car and another car in Cavalry Ground area.
Last month, Chief Justice of Pakistan Anwar Zaheer Jamali took suo motu notice of the acquittal order and summoned the case record after an ATC judge had acquitted Kanju and his four guards citing lack of adequate evidence against them.
Thanks God someone has come to help of the aggrieved widow. But there are many more such mothers suffering in other parts of the country – specially in Karachi where witnesses are threatened and never reach the courts. Witness protection Law is an eye-wash as far as a common man is concerned. There are TWO laws in the country – and likely to remain so – one for the influentials and other for the poors. Dozens of Chief Justices have come and gone – nothing has changed and nothing likely to.
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