The Settlement

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The Murder was so brutal it shocked even the hardened detectives who arrived on The Scene to The Outskirts of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad. Bushra Iftikhar, a 28-year-old housewife, had stabbed with such force that The Knife bent had been used by her attacker, and had he continued The Attack with a screwdriver.

The Killer ? Her Husband, Sami Ullah.

The couple had four children, and at the time of her death, Bushra Iftikhar pregnant with her fifth. Why exactly her husband has killed, remains unclear. He claimed before the court to suffer a nervous breakdown and have no memory of The Incident . Her family says he is accused of wanting to convert to a different religious sect.

But what seems clear is that Sami Ullah was a violent man. He had previously accused of the attempted Murder of a neighbor, and as part of a violent altercation in a restaurant.

The Police says, he would have been in prison, but he doesn't even have the face of a proper study.

According to Bushra Iftikhar's brother, Sami Ullah's family were influential in the Region and the money paid to The Victims of previous cases.

"In the old cases, he gave the money and quickly went out of the prison," Mohammad Zakaria bluntly told the BBC.

Under Pakistani law, The Victim or their families The Right to forgive the suspects in a series of serious crimes, including most cases of Murder . All you have to do is Stand in front of the court, that a suspect "in the name of God". In reality, legal observers agree that the Primary Motive for the "forgiveness" is usually financially, and the informal payment of money to The Victim is not illegal.

Mohammad Zakaria believes that his brother in-law was always harder after The First incident

The provisions, so that crimes of bodily injury, "" or "forgiven" were done in the 1990s as part of a series of Islamic-inspired law reforms.

proponents of The System say that it helps reduce the pressure on Pakistan, which is already congested and delay-ridden court system, and reduces develop the likelihood of feuds. But according to one study, the Murder conviction rate in the country fell from 29% in 1990, before the laws were introduced, to only 12% in the year 2000.

critics argue that The Law can give repeat offenders a sense of impunity, and a tool for the greater is to evade justice. Bushra Iftikhar's brother believes that the fact her killer was never punished, to grow in his former cases, only more violent.

"He was arrogant. He thought: "I did this and nothing happened. Now I am free and The Law can't Touch Me . '"

Sami Ullah family, the previous cases had come to an end, what's often called a "compromise," but insist that they had agreed, they Sami Ullah was to avoid a lengthy legal process, not because of not guilty. Sami Ullah is currently an appeal against the Death Sentence after he was found guilty of Murder .

in Many cases it is not even before the court (image: the Supreme court in Islamabad)

Ashtar Ausaf Ali, who served as attorney general under the previous government, laid out plans to reform the laws in the year 2015, while still retaining the element of forgiveness.

"A person has The Right to grant to," he told the BBC from his office in The City of Lahore, but he added that the crime is only a matter for the individual, but for society as a whole.

His idea, the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences was so that "people would know that you can not place a price tag on A Crime ".

in Spite of is s supported by some clerics, Mr Ali ' proposals were blocked by A Number of Islamist politicians. At the moment there seems little prospect they will be resurrected.

is undermining The System

The current case law is a source of frustration for both police officers and criminal prosecutors. Courts have The Right to reject settlements, if you believe that you are urged, but most observers agree that, due to The Number of cases in the court, they are rarely thoroughly examined.

Meanwhile, a detective told me that he had come across dozens of examples of offender reach a settlement with the alleged victims, only to then fall off the wagon. He said The Police would spend a lot of time and resources investigating A Crime , only for the case to an abrupt end.

Then there are other times when even The Police can benefit from such "settlements".

Salahuddin Ayubi died, after he was arrested

In August, CCTV images of a thief to stick his tongue in the camera, As If he had a bank card from an ATM in the Central Pakistani city of Faisalabad went viral on Social Media .

But the case took a grim train shortly after the Salahuddin Ayubi was arrested by The Police , he died in prison.

compromise

the suspect is placed after another video surfaced of Salahuddin Ayubi, the done seemingly at first As If The Police that he was deaf and mute, writhing in pain as a policeman, his arms twisted behind his back, while another questioned him.

Salahuddin's father, Muhammad Afzal, expressed at the beginning of justice for his son, to those who believed, suffered from a mental illness. However, a month later, he announced, he was awarded accused The Police of killing him "in the name of God". to have

The "settlement" or "compromise" in this case is understood, consisted of an agreement, The Authorities would not mention the construction of a new 8 km (five miles) long road, in The Family , the village, as well as a new gas pipeline, to the payment of an unknown sum of money.

Abdul Aziz Shah's father seemed satisfied with The Deal , which was mediated by a radical cleric with links to The Intelligence services. But others, who do not have powerful backers or The Weight of public pressure behind them, often end up feeling As If you have no choice but to agree with what is offered to you.

In a village outside of Lahore, I met The Family of another man died in police custody. He had been arrested after wrongly accused of Murder .

The BBC is not disclosed, as The Family name, to protect you from impact, but they say that a mixture of coercion and money, led to the termination of the proceedings against The Police officers they hold responsible for his death.

"We have not yet forgiven, you said in our hearts," The Victim 's brother to me. "We'll never make it, but we were helpless. "

He said, a steady stream of local politicians and influential persons were on its doorstep, as she began to fight for justice.

"you would say: 'make me an offer. If you do not, you will not be able to do anything anyway. Maybe you will go to jail for six months or a year, after which they are released and can be all sorts of problems For You . '"

The Family are poor, and offered them enough money to buy A House , to do something, what they fought for would have ever otherwise. She accepts, but The Mother remained desperate in the bargain-she felt forced to make you.

"I wish to God that we still live in a rented house, and my son was still alive," She Said . "They took my son and gave me money for A House , what kind of business is it?"

Illustration by Nick Galvin

crime, pakistan

Source of news: bbc.com