A Pakistani court has absolved 3 accused in a murder case after Lashkar-e-Taiba and prominent Pakistani personality Hafiz Saeed intervened in the matter. According to reports, Saeed pressurised the court into exonerating the 3 policemen accused of custodial murder.
Three police officers were held guilty of killing an alleged ATM thief held in police custody. Following Hafiz Saeed’s mediation, the court acquitted all three police officers accused of custodial death of the purported ATM thief. Additional District and Sessions Judge Zahid Hussain Bakhtiar acquitted three police officers, Mahmudul Hasan, Shafat Ali and Matlub Hussain, this week for the murder of alleged ATM thief Salauddin Ayubi. Ayubi, who was purportedly mentally weak, died under suspicious circumstances in police custody. It is believed that he was allegedly tortured to death by police personnel.
As per sources, Saeed played a vital role in arbitrating between the police and the family of the deceased. The mastermind of the Mumbai attacks has apparently been held in the high-security Kot Lakhpat Jail since July 17 on charges of providing financial assistance to terrorism. He met the family members of the deceased and persuaded them to forgive the accused policemen. An official source revealed that the accused policemen, their officers and the relatives of the deceased had several meetings with Saeed in the jail, which eventually led to an agreement between them.
Saeed negotiated with the victim’s family by placing three options in front of them. First to receive monetary compensation from the policemen, the second was to forgive them or else proceed on the legal battle. The family chose to forgive the accused and the same was confirmed by Ayubi’s father who said that he has forgiven the murderers on his own volition, without being under duress. The law of forgiveness as per Islamic laws allow relatives of murder victims to fogive the killers. Even forgiveness against payment of money is also allowed.
This incident reflects how much influence the Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed wields in Pakistan.