Capital Punishment in Pakistan

[azkar]

I saw a brief report on CNN minutes ago but could not confirm it anywhere on the web.

CNN reported about someone who killed 100s of children in Pakistan. The individual will be put to death by putting him in acid alongwith other kinds of punishments.

Is the above story true? If it is, at least I agree with the kind of punishment being given. If I could, I would do more to people who hurt small innocent children. What a shame!

Can anyone point more details on this news?

Thanks.

[Dehatan]

Azkar ji,

Adaab.

Here is the CNN news piece that you are looking for.
--------------------------------------------
Pakistani man sentenced to death for murdering 100 children

Shoes belonging to some of the slain children were found at Iqbal's home

March 17, 2000
Web posted at: 10:57 a.m. HKT (0257 GMT)

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) -- A court on Thursday sentenced a Pakistani man to death for murdering 100 children in this country's worst serial killing rampage, saying he would be strangled in front of the parents of his victims.

The judge ordered that 42-year-old Javed Iqbal be publicly executed in a park in this eastern city, suffering the same fate as his victims.

"You will be strangled to death in front of the parents whose children you killed," said Judge Allah Baksh Ranja in handing down the sentence. "Your body will then be cut into a 100 pieces and put in acid the same way you killed the children."

The judge also sentenced Iqbal to 700 years in prison for destroying evidence -- seven years for each of the 100 bodies that Iqbal is said to have destroyed by dissolving them in acid.

"Your honor, I am innocent," Iqbal declared, after hearing the judge convict and sentence him. Iqbal's lawyer said he will appeal the verdict.

As he was being led out of court, Iqbal told reporters that he didn't kill anyone.

During his trial, Iqbal testified that he was only a witness to the killings. He said his earlier confession in a letter sent to police was intended as a message to the parents of the missing children, whom he accused of neglect. Some of Iqbal's victims had been missing for more than six months before their parents reported their disappearance to police.

Three accomplices, including a 13-year-old boy identified only as Sabir, also were found guilty.

One accomplice, identified only as 17-year-old Sajjid, who was found guilty on 98 counts of murder, was sentenced to death and 686 years in prison. The second, identified as Nadeem, convicted on 13 counts of murder, also received the death penalty and a 142-year prison sentence. Sabir was spared the death penalty, but received a 42-year prison sentence.

Iqbal, a chemical engineer, and his accomplices lived together in the house where the children were killed. Sajjid and Nadeem were arrested at a bank when they tried to cash a check made out to Javed Iqbal.

The trial generated strong emotions in Pakistan, where such cases of serial killings are a rarity. Throughout the trial, parents of the missing children held a vigil outside the courtroom, screaming abuse at Iqbal and demanding the death sentence.

Iqbal initially confessed to the killings in a letter sent last year to police, which triggered one of the biggest manhunts ever by Pakistani police. Dozens of people were picked up and questioned, including several of Iqbal's relatives.

In his letter, Iqbal said he went on his killing rampage in retaliation for abuse he suffered at the hands of police. Iqbal claimed he had been wrongly detained by police and badly beaten while in custody.

Iqbal listens as the judge delivers his sentence in a Lahore court, Pakistan on Thursday

In the letter, Iqbal said he strangled the children, dismembered their bodies and placed them in a vat of acid. He later recanted his confession. The children were apparently sexually abused before being killed.

Iqbal's letter led police to his home where they found a blue vat in which the remains of two bodies were found. Police also found pictures of 100 children, whom Iqbal confessed in his letter to having killed. They also found clothes belonging to the young victims.

Parents of missing children were contacted and one by one they paraded past the pictures and waded through the clothes to try to determine whether their children were among the victims. Most of the children were identified, but police did not recover any more bodies.

On December 30, Iqbal walked into the Lahore office of a leading newspaper and turned himself in. He refused to go directly to the police saying he feared for his life.

Many of the murdered children were among the city's poorest. Some were beggars, others were among the army of children who work on the streets selling goods, and still others had left home and never returned.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.



[This message has been edited by Dehatan (edited March 16, 2000).]

[Ahmed]

No Azkar No!
Hanging is Alright but mutilating of dead bodies is UnIsalmic under all circumstances and it doesn't matter what the accused may have done,this punishment is still UnIslamic.Islamic law of Qisas calls for the same punishment but death is that punishment.
The Prophet Mohammad(PBUH) forbade cutting up dead bodies even of enemies of Islam.

[ehsan]

The judge obviously got carried away and his decision to mutilate the body has to br overturned. It is barbaric to say the least. The accused however should be hanged.

[Baykhatr]

>>"You will be strangled to death in front of the parents whose children you killed," <<........said Judge Allah Baksh Ranja in handing down the sentence.

This is fine. As Islam calls for Qisas. To provide further solace to the parents of the innocent children, the judge may ask them to hold the cables or ropes of strangulation from each end.

>>"Your body will then be cut into a 100 pieces and put in acid the same way you killed the children." <<

This would reflect that we as a soceity are very savage. Such brutish and sadistic punishments to the dead body cannot inflict any pain or suffering on the deceased anyhow, but would definately provide excuses for anti Islamic forces and media within or outside of Pakistan to preach negative propaganda about Islam. This must be revoked.

[Akif]

I dont even know why everyone around the country and the world is making such a big deal out of the sentence that was passed by the judge. First of all, the judge is an educated man, and he knows very well whats barbaric and whats not. And he also very well knows that there is no way on earth his sentence will hold up in higher courts. The judge knowingly meted out such a sentence, simply to express his disgust for the actions of the perpetrator, not to literally have him cut in pieces and dipped in acid. Judges routinely use their summation as a way of expressing their disgust for convicted criminals. It happens in the USA, and it happens everywhere else. And it has happened in Pakistan as well. Bravo to the judge for speaking his mind, cause its a reflection of what everyone else in Pakistan would like to do to that sick pervert.

And now lots of people, mostly western media, will use this as a way of maligning Islamic law of Qisas, something they dont understand in the first place. This punishment is not in line with either any Islamic law or any worldly law. The law of Qisas says that if someone commits a murder, he should be killed in return...it doesnt say he should be killed the same way he killed his victim. Chopping up of a body is not Islamic by any means, and the judge certainly didnt mean for it to be carried out in its true spirit. It was a simple verbal assault, to which he was entitled, being the judge.....something we all wish we could say, and if given the chance, do to that sicko.

[Capt Gulsher Khan]

No Azkar No!
Hanging is Alright but mutilating of dead bodies is UnIsalmic under all circumstances and it doesn't matter what the accused may have done,this punishment is still UnIslamic.Islamic law of Qisas calls for the same punishment but death is that punishment.
The Prophet Mohammad(PBUH) forbade cutting up dead bodies even of enemies of Islam.

What this guy did is much more for just a simple hanging. Taking one hundred lives of innocent children is not a joke. 100 children of one hundred mothers. I think Judge Allah Bakhsh Ranjha was absolutely right saying this and he even worse a more painful death than this. Everyone should see and realize what is the result of such a "gunnah". Hanging would be to easy of a way out for this guy.

[Dehatan]

!

[This message has been edited by Dehatan (edited March 17, 2000).]

[Ahmed]

Gulsher,
Many Gunnah cannot be punished by man in this life and I hope you agree that real punishment is in Akhirat.Alllah made us all and if He forbids something that who are we to argue?Allah knows best how cruel man can get and He still forbade His followers(beleivers) to something and we should accept it.

[Atif Khan]

There is nobody above law!

[Capt Gulsher Khan]

you are right Ahmed, but this should be a lesson to everyone, crimes against innocent children are even more worse. Allah has created us, but also given us the power to think. Javed Iqbal didnt think of his daughter not even once taking one hundred lives. He deserves like a dog, I dont think eevn this is a justified punishment for Javed Iqbal. He should be stoned to death in open public

[ManiaX]

He deserves the death penalty. Okay fine.
But no matter what he did - who are we to decide what happens to him after he dies?
Thats between him and Allah, isent it?
How do we have the power to decide that his body should be cut into pieces and put into acid?

Thats plain wrong. I disagree that the Judge is educated. He's obviously a fool looking for publicity. This Judgement has to be over turned because it sets a wrong example.
Im glad that the human rights activists back home are up in arms. This kind of ruling can have severe consequences for Pakistan.

[Ahmed]

Well Gulsher,
All I can say is that you are following your emotions.I specifically mentioned above that the Prophet(PBUH) forbade the sahabah to mutilate bodies of even those kafirs who had mutilated bodies of muslims in war.Nobody can be worse dog than those who planned the murder of Prophet(PBUH)and made war on him to no doubt kill him and his companions.They were the most evil people.Not even javed iqbal can be compared to them.So who are we to decide a punishment for him which Allah has forbidden.We can think and decide on open matters but not on this.Burning people or mutilating their bodies is fobidden.
Mania X,
Human rights in this case may be on the right side but we should only be concerned with upholding Isalmic principles.HR people will make noises even about death penalty or other Islamic laws and in that case we can't listen to them.Maybe you will disagree but that is how it is.HR conventions are based on western values who will never be happy with muslims no matter what.
But I agree that this punishment should be overturned.

[This message has been edited by Ahmed (edited March 19, 2000).]

[SaeedAfridi]

In cases os such extremity, emotions are hard to control.
I understand that people are viewing any such notion as BARBARIC, however, I would ask you to keep the crime in mind too.

If you accept the death penalty as a pre requisit then can you tell me of a HUMANE manner of KILLING a person ?

People might find a simple hanging as NOT BEFITING THE CRIME. Almost as an injustice.
Such people need to be re assured that just hanging him is befitting his crime, which is hard to say the least.

That is the problem.

The boundaries of LAW and JUSTICE do not always over lap.
Islam requires examplary punishments and the say of the greiving family as well. How far that goes in terms of forms of punishment is the question to be answered here ?
What are the parameters for sentencing?


I am presuming here that the hadith do not provide for the mutilation requested requested by the judge.

However, I am checking for details about a case in Hazrat Umar's time as khalifah where his son (I believe, though not sure) was accused of having been drunk. The son died having received around half the lashes that were to be given.
Hazrat Umar personally completed the rest of the lashes to make an example of how such a person would be treated.

So, I am not sure what to do here untill I check this lead.

(Anyone who is aware of a source of the incident in question please do let me know).

[libra]

Come on guys, look what he put those families through. Imagine losing a child and not being able to bury them because there is no body to bury. Just imagine the heartache of the parents, sisters, brothers etc who lost a family member because of what that animal did. I don't beleive in eye for an eye etc, BUT it's not our justice..it's theirs, this is the only thing that will probably ease their pain..