The Shahrukh Jatoi case has been in the news – on and off – for the past five years. People all around the country were transfixed as the case revealed what appears to be a rich spoiled brat murdering an innocent guy.
The terrible murder committed on December 25, 2012 had captured the whole nation’s attention
The then Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry taking suo motu action on the case brought it to public attention after 20 year old Shahzeb Khan was gunned down in Karachi. Shahrukh Jatoi, along with Siraj Ali Talpur and Sajjad Ali Talpur were accused of committing the crime and handed death penalty, the highest punishment for murder under Pakistani law, by an Anti-Terrorism Court.
Recently, however, Shahzeb Khan’s father announced that the family had pardoned the accused and are willing to drop their case against them. This prompted suspicion among people that Shahrukh Jatoi and Talpur brothers’ kin had pressurized the family of the victim to drop the case.
Well, in a culmination of the new developments, Shahrukh Jatoi, the main accused, was released on bail from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) in Karachi where he was being treated while in custody
The bail, which was set at Rs. 500,000, is said to have been paid by the accused’s lawyer and approved by the Court in Saturday.
As expected, the release of Shahrukh Jatoi has prompted a wave of criticism on the Pakistani social media
Shahzeb Khan was shot on 25th December 2013 by #ShahrukhJatoi but he died today #Justice4Shahzeb #ShahzebMurderCase
— Umer Mukhtar (@voiceofkolachi) December 23, 2017
Today my head is down on release of #ShahrukhJatoi, a slap on our Judicial System which provides opportunity to murderes to get free after killing the innocents. Diyat law does not apply on intentional murder bt again proved that rich is more powerful than any law #QanoonKaJanaza pic.twitter.com/bsry6WGB6b
— M.Khazran Shabbir (@KhazranSays) December 23, 2017
Many are criticizing the Judiciary not realizing that they just followed the law, in reality
#ShahrukhJatoi shows middle finger to the Paki judicial system. pic.twitter.com/AIBxiwdSOm
— Dr Saqlain Shah (@DrSaqlainSh) December 23, 2017
Free Judiciary has freed murderers too!
Azad adlya, murdabad!
#ShahrukhJatoi— Sehrish Mansoor (@SehrishMansoor1) December 23, 2017
This was a model case for our state and judiciary in which they utterly failed to provide justice. #ShahrukhJatoi
— Habib Raza (@habibraza44) December 23, 2017
There are those who’ve taken the recent remarks about free Judiciary by the Chief Justice to heart and mocking them
So the BABA released #ShahrukhJatoi on bail after compromise between Shahzaib Family and Jataois.
The elder BABA should take suo moto notice over compromise as it happened in case of torture on maid by District&Session BABA.— Sabih Ul Hussnain (@SabihUlHussnain) December 23, 2017
Others are recalling similar incidents where the justice system of Pakistan failed to protect the victims
So true. You remember a rape case from Balochistan? Shazia Khalid, the girl who was raped by an army captain. And how she was bribed to go abroad and never return. I do agree with you, however, on this Shahzeb Khan case. https://t.co/35byt537uJ
— Marvi Sirmed (@marvisirmed) December 24, 2017
This journalist pointed out, correctly, that bail does not equal the accused being let go completely
Read this carefully. It is the discretion of the judge to grant bail or not. He can still keep him under 302 till final settlement happens #ShahrukhJatoi https://t.co/BoBrZFpg7Q
— Mubashir Zaidi (@Xadeejournalist) December 23, 2017
Some are even concerned about the suspicious pardon that the victim’s father granted the accused
So #ShahrukhJatoi is released because father pardoned him and now here we are judging the father so rudely. Do you guys consider the amount of pressure and threats he must have tolerated? Maybe he is doing it to protect his family. Unbelievable!
— Nabeha Latif (@Nabehal) December 23, 2017
People are angry
Pakistan should be renamed to OLXistan. Everyone is for sale#ShahrukhJatoi
— Waqas Siddiqui (@WaqasASiddiqui) December 23, 2017
No regret, no repentance on his evil face. Looks like he's proud of what he did #ShahrukhJatoi pic.twitter.com/qrijcF9rDB
— Zehra Batool (@ThenZehraSaid) December 23, 2017
And sad
Reality of Pakistan in two pictures:
Pakistan is a country where police beating a poor food seller for selling food on footpath but murderers like #ShahrukhJatoi get free from Jail for being the son of a rich person. This is the reason that Pakistan is poor by morality & manners. pic.twitter.com/x4XkLfTVCU— Yasir Iqbal Khan (@YaSiR___kHaN) December 23, 2017
But mostly, people are just disheartened that the country’s legal system allows the rich to manipulate and plunder as much as they want
#ShahrukhJatoi Wah ray Pakistan! A place where justice comes to die, where the rich get away with murder and the poor languish in prison even when falsely accused of a crime.
— naziha (@naziha_syedali) December 23, 2017
Here’s a timeline of the events that the folks over at Dawn.com made:
What are your thoughts about this development? Sound off in the comments below.