A month ago, the "petition to grant pardon and remit/commute sentences of Rangers personnel under Article-45 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan" was sent to the President. The committee was convened by Senator Nasreen Jalil who observed that the move will give a negative message to the people.
Member committee, Senator Farhatullah Babar condemned the act of showing mercy towards the culprits and inquired if any summary had been moved to the President. He said it is shameful how the young student was killed but if the President of Pakistan has granted forgiveness to Rangers personnel who were convicted by Anti-Terrorism Court over charges of killing then it is more unfortunate. "This is an unacceptable affront to the human rights of the victims and their families. It is a license to uniformed personnel to brandish guns and kill innocent people at will and with impunity," he said.
A presidential pardon to the criminals will only make the shameful image of the country and it is a cruel joke with the victims and their families, he said.Farhatullah Babar said that pardon without consent of the victims will further embolden the law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) to take law into their hands at will and with impunity. It will be a monumental pity if President Mamnoon Hussain left behind a highly dubious legacy that 'criminals and convicts who once wore uniform are a breed apart from criminals who have never worn uniform.' This legacy will turn the already broken criminal justice system on its head, he warned.
All members of the committee invited by the chairperson to express views strongly condemned the move and demanded that a powerful message be sent across in the form of a unanimous resolution against pardoning the criminals. However, Minister-in-charge for Human Rights Barrister Usman Ibrahim informed the committee that the ministry had no information regarding the summary moved to the President for seeking forgiveness. He said the President had never granted forgiveness to the convicted personnel. However, the issue was related to the Interior Ministry, he informed.
Chairman Council of Islamic Ideology, Qibla Ayaz told the committee that it was first time in the history that the council was working on the rights for transgender persons in depth. A session with representatives of transgender community will be conducted on January 16, and the Islamic Ideology Council will conduct the session on January 17, after taking suggestions and recommendations from the members and will present the bill afterwards to the committee.