GIVEN our pervasive gun culture, it is no surprise that
society has suffered fatalities, trauma and injuries caused by shootings
including everyday firearm-related violence. This unchecked gun culture
is the reason behind the fatal shooting of a teenaged driver on Sunday morning in the aftermath of a hit-and-run accident near Karachi’s Clifton beach.
According
to reports, when an 18-year-old student driving a Mercedes hit a
motorcyclist and failed to stop, he was chased by armed men in an SUV.
Although the biker survived, his friends fired several rounds of bullets
killing the young driver on the spot and injuring another passenger.
Though
there is no justification for not stopping after hitting a vehicle, it
is the fear of frenzied mobs known to assault those behind the wheel,
whether or not they are at fault, that keeps many drivers from halting.
In
this incident, while the police have apprehended the culprits who have
confessed to their crime, the question of gun-control measures, and the
non-implementation of stringent controls for the use, licensing, display
and possession of guns has come to the fore.
This utterly senseless shooting and incidents of similar gun violence (the Shahzeb Khan murder in 2012), where perpetrators are young men easily provoked into violence, raises several points.
First,
in certain incidents lax parental control is partly to blame when young
people have access to guns — especially disturbing is when adults
protect young perpetrators of violent acts.
Secondly,
with an ill-equipped and overstretched security apparatus, the
government is clearly hesitant to implement existing rules curbing
unnecessary gun use. Consider here the thuggish, private armed
‘militias’ accompanying politicians, state ministers, feudal families
and such, displaying their weapons and harassing ordinary citizens.
Meanwhile,
clamping down on fake gun licences and conducting stringent background
checks, including mental and drug testing for gun permits, is
imperative. Eliminating gun culture when gun laws are openly flouted is a
complex but necessary task if society is to be protected from violent
and illegal ‘retribution’.
Shahzeb murder case: Shahrukh Jatoi sentenced to death
June 07, 2013
KARACHI: An anti-terrorism
court (ATC) in Karachi sentenced Shahrukh Jatoi, the main accused in the
Shahzeb murder case, to death in its verdict on Friday.
Moreover, another suspect, Siraj Talpur, was also awarded capital punishment for his role in the crime.
Whereas, two other suspects in the case, Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The ATC also announced that the convicted individuals would have to pay a fine of Rs 500,000 each. Moreover, Jatoi was handed an added three years prison sentence for illegal possession of weapons.
As soon as the judgment was announced, Jatoi's brother got into an argument with judges and had to be taken out of the court's premises.
Due to which, the detailed judgment of the case could not be signed by those convicted and they were sent away. They were, however, called back to the court's premises and asked to sign the judgment.
The convicted individuals were then taken towards central jail.
Later, family members of those convicted said they would file an appeal challenging the court's judgment.
Moreover, Jatoi's lawyer, Shaukat Hussain Zuberi, said he would file an appeal within seven days of today's ruling. Zuberi said the case's investigation was flawed from the very beginning.
A senior advocate, Kamal Azfar, recently filed a petition in the Sindh High Court to revisit the evidence on the weapon from which Jatoi fired at Shahzeb. That petition was also rejected today.
Speaking to DawnNews, Shahzaib's father said he was satisfied with the court's verdict.
Twenty-year-old Shahzeb Khan was gunned down on the night of December 24, 2012 when he was returning home along with his sister after attending a wedding. Shahzeb, son of a DSP, was murdered reportedly after he had an altercation with one of the suspects’ servant who had allegedly given verbal threats to the victim’s sister.
Jatoi, Siraj Talpur, his younger brother Sajjad Talpur and their house servant Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were charged with killing Shahzeb in the city’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA).
The case had attracted much media attention after the Supreme Court took a suo motu notice of the murder.
Moreover, another suspect, Siraj Talpur, was also awarded capital punishment for his role in the crime.
Whereas, two other suspects in the case, Sajjad Ali Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The ATC also announced that the convicted individuals would have to pay a fine of Rs 500,000 each. Moreover, Jatoi was handed an added three years prison sentence for illegal possession of weapons.
As soon as the judgment was announced, Jatoi's brother got into an argument with judges and had to be taken out of the court's premises.
Due to which, the detailed judgment of the case could not be signed by those convicted and they were sent away. They were, however, called back to the court's premises and asked to sign the judgment.
The convicted individuals were then taken towards central jail.
Later, family members of those convicted said they would file an appeal challenging the court's judgment.
Moreover, Jatoi's lawyer, Shaukat Hussain Zuberi, said he would file an appeal within seven days of today's ruling. Zuberi said the case's investigation was flawed from the very beginning.
A senior advocate, Kamal Azfar, recently filed a petition in the Sindh High Court to revisit the evidence on the weapon from which Jatoi fired at Shahzeb. That petition was also rejected today.
Speaking to DawnNews, Shahzaib's father said he was satisfied with the court's verdict.
Twenty-year-old Shahzeb Khan was gunned down on the night of December 24, 2012 when he was returning home along with his sister after attending a wedding. Shahzeb, son of a DSP, was murdered reportedly after he had an altercation with one of the suspects’ servant who had allegedly given verbal threats to the victim’s sister.
Jatoi, Siraj Talpur, his younger brother Sajjad Talpur and their house servant Ghulam Murtaza Lashari were charged with killing Shahzeb in the city’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA).
The case had attracted much media attention after the Supreme Court took a suo motu notice of the murder.
Student killed, another injured in firing after accident near Karachi's Do Darya
A teenager was killed and another injured when unknown
suspects opened fire at them after an accident at Do Darya in Karachi's
Defence Housing Authority (DHA) area on Sunday morning, police said.
Two
youths were travelling in a Mercedes and were on their way to have
breakfast at the beach when a minor accident occurred, Superintendent
Police Clifton Dr Asad Malhi said.
After the accident, suspects travelling in double-cabin vehicle opened indiscriminate fire on the car at around 9am.
As
a result, the two passengers sustained bullet wounds. They were
transported to a private hospital where doctors pronounced Zafir, 18,
dead, the SP said.
Zaid, 20, was admitted to the hospital
for treatment. He sustained a bullet wound on his hand and his
condition was stated to be out of danger, the SP added.
Police
carried out raids with the help of CCTV footage and, subsequently, four
suspects were detained for interrogation. Two vehicles were also
impounded.
The victim, a resident of Defence Housing Authority was a first year student at DHA College, said SP Malhi.
Higher authorities took notice of the incident.
Home
Minister Sindh Sohail Anwar Siyal took notice of the matter and ordered
Additional Inspector General Karachi Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar to file a
report immediately.
The minister also ordered the immediate arrest of the culprits involved in the incident.
