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In 2011, unarmed 22-year-old Sarfaraz Shah was killed in Karachi when the Rangers personnel thought the individual is a robber roaming around in the park to steal from people. The incident caused a nationwide outrage as the locals saw the entire incident on news channels. The entire incident was filmed by a local channel’s cameraman. The killing of an innocent had extreme public outrage, which led to the decision of then-chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to take firm actions.
Alongside the removal of the provincial chiefs of the rangers, the death penalty was handed to Ranger trooper Shahid Zafar who pulled the trigger. Five other ranger officials were handed life imprisonment and the watchman of the park was also jailed for life.
Shahid Zafar was, however, was removed from the death penalty when the court shared how the family of the victim has decided to reduce his sentence and therefore, Zafar was imprisoned for life.
Exercising the Article 45 of the Constitution, President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain has granted pardon to the Rangers involved.
“After receiving the pardon orders from the President House, we have communicated with the IG prison, and the convicts may be freed any time from Karachi’s Central Jail,”
Yet Again, It Caused an Outrage Based on the Reactions of Pakistani Social Media
So the Rangers thugs who killed an unarmed innocent man in cold blood go scot free thanks to the messed up criminal justice of Pakistan. First, the death penalty was commuted to life sentence and now even that has been pardoned by the President. Shameful.
— Umer Ali (@IamUmer1) January 7, 2018
Rangers personnel who killed unarmed 22 year old Sarfraz Shah in Karachi in 2011 have been pardoned by the head of state.
— Niha (@nhd00) January 6, 2018
Rangers Personnel who shot a 22 year old man in cold blood on camera a few years ago, the video of which had caused outrage across the nation, have been pardoned by President Mamnoon Hussain after every court in the country had handed them life sentences and the death penalty!
— Ali Moeen Nawazish (@am_nawazish) January 7, 2018
