“If the President of Pakistan invokes his power to pardon the convicts his act will convince people that two modes of justice prevail in the

country. One is for weak and the

other for the powerful ones.”

–The Nation

Unfortunately, Pakistan has witnessed double standards in the judicial procedure. It can be argued that there exist separate judicial procedures for the power holders and the subjects. Such an act was witnessed in Shahzeb Murder case where Shahrukh Jatoi, the murderer of Shahzeb, was granted impunity after the blood money settlement between the two families.

Now, another murder case is to be resolved, and if the President pardons Shahid Zafar, the murderer of Sarfraz Shah, it will set a wrong precedence for the judicial procedure. In this case, the accused is not the son of an influential person, but the personnel of a paramilitary organisation, an institution that swore to protect the Constitution of Pakistan.