Mr. Ashraf Mumtaz who writes for 24 News Digital says that There is no need for new experiments or fear of retaliatory measures from any Western country if the government really want to stop happening of motorway gang rape like incidents.
LAHORE: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Sept 15th, 2020) Implementation on Islamic punishments is the only solution to stop Motorway gang-rape like incidents in future, senior journalist Ashraf Mumtaz said on Tuesday.
In his column on 24 News’s digital platform, Ashraf Mumtaz said that it could be said without any iota of doubt that punishments had lost deterrence – except the Islamic punishments. He said, in some cases, even the capital punishment didn’t deter the criminal. He also recalled an incident to elaborate his point that took place during Gen Zia’s rule when the crime was kept under control through exemplary punishments.
He said One Ghiasa of Sanat Nagar, Lahore, had been awarded capital punishment in a case. A day before his hanging was to take place the military authorities took some journalists to Kot Lakhpat jail for an interview with the condemned prisoner (who happened to be a teacher’s son).
In the presence of then jail superintendent Masood Qureshi (father of famous Dr Faisal Masood who passed away only recently), the writer (then working for news agency PPI) met Ghiasa. He was absolutely a normal being, having no fear of being hanged after some hours.
The journalist said that he asked him what if by some miracle he was released immediately. He said “I will try to lead a normal life. But if not allowed, Ghiasa will be back”. He was executed the following morning. But he can be seen reincarnated in countless shapes. The best solution of the aggravating crime situation and declining values lies in the immediate enforcement of Islamic punishments.
“There is no need for new experiments or fear of retaliatory measures from any Western country,” he stated.
Mr. Mumtaz wrote that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s call for public hanging of those involved in sexual abuse of women and children and castration of habitual rapists would certainly lead to a serious debate at all fora. Parliamentarians, religious leaders, human rights organizations and people belonging to different walks of life would come up with conflicting opinions on this important matter. However, ultimately it is for the elected legislators to take a final decision in the light of the government’s policy.
He went on to say that had convicts been hanged, flogged for the commission of various crimes or thieves’ hands been amputated, the crime graph would have nosedived across the country. But, unfortunately, the government, he pointed out, did nothing on this front.
Under the fear of reaction from the West, the government is not even taking to the gallows some 7,400 death-row prisoners in the country. They remain a burden on state resources. In such a situation why the would-be criminals not feel encouraged to go ahead with their dirty agenda? When executions are not taking place, every prisoner knows he will come out of jail one day to resume his criminal activities. A moratorium on executions was imposed in 2008. As a result, no execution took place between 2009 and 2011. Only one execution was reported in 2012 and none in 2013. The moratorium was lifted after the 2014 massacre of 132 students and staff of the Army Public school, Peshawar. Seven executions took place that year and 326, 87, 65 and 14 in the subsequent four years. No hanging has been reported during the present rule.
