ISLAMABAD: The President’s House has rejects BBC’s report which claimed that President Mamnoon Hussain has granted pardon to Rangers officials who had been sentenced to life imprisonment over June 2011 killing of a youth, Sarfraz Shah, inside a public park in Karachi.

The President’s House has clarified that no such pardon has been granted to the Rangers officials.

Shah was shot dead by the paramilitary troops and left to die inside the park in Clifton area. The fatal shooting was filmed by a cameraman and telecast on various TV channels, sparking a public backlash over the brutality of trained paramilitary troops.

The victim’s family has already pardoned the convicts.

Earlier today, BBC Urdu had claimed that the pardon was granted by the President under Article 45 of the Constitution.

BBC’s story was based on a letter by Inspector General of Prisons Sindh Nusrat Mangan to Home Secretary Sindh, DIG Prison and Senior Superintendent Central Prison Karachi. In the letter, the IG Prisons communicated about petition of the convicts for presidential pardon.

According to the letter, Shahid Zafar, Bahaur Rehman, Muhammad Tariq, Manthar Ali and Afzal Khan will be beneficiaries of the pardon.

While speaking to Samaa, the victim’s brother, Salik Shah, who was a complainant in the case against the paramilitary troops, said he and his family members had forgiven the convicts ‘for the sake of Allah’.

Background

In August 2011, an anti-terrorism sentenced Rangers constable Shahid Zafar to death and jailed Sub-Inspector Bahaur Rehman, Lance Naik Liaquat Ali and Constables Muhammad Tariq, Manthar Ali and Afzal Khan for life under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

In January 2014, the Sindh High Court rejected appeals of the convicts against the ATC sentence, and had also rejected their agreement with the victim family, observing that no compromise case be held in a case involving sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The SHC, accepting the appeal of Lance Naik Liaquat Ali, later acquitted him.

In August 2014, Supreme Court commuted the death penalty, awarded to Shahid Zafar, into life imprisonment, and retained the punishment of others. – Samaa