Global Voices » Sana Jamal

Shahzeb Khan – Symbol of Hope Against Pakistan's Powerful Feudals

Sana Jamal — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 21:52:28 +0000

Who is Shahzeb Khan? Many in Pakistan are asking this question.

There was little or no news about him on mainstream media. But through social media, the face of this young 20-year-old has become a symbol of hope against Pakistan's powerful feudal-elites, who live with impunity, above the law.

Pakistan's social media is overflowing with Shahzeb photos with words of sympathy and tributes to the young student who was murdered on 25 December 2012 in Pakistan's largest city Karachi near his apartment:

Till Tuesday night, only a few hundred knew who Shahzeb was. Now, the deceased young man has become a symbol of change.

A memorable Photo of Shahzeb – (Courtesy: In Memory of Shahzeb Khan Facebook page)

Cold-blooded murder

Reports and family say Shahzeb was shot dead by two young men from feudal backgrounds Nawab Siraj Talpur and Shahrukh Jatoi, who were with their armed guards. Before the shooting, a small argument erupted between Shahzeb and Talpur, after one of Talpur's employees passed a lewd comment at Shahzeb’s sister. Shahzeb’s father Aurangzeb, a police officer, quickly resolved the dispute. But later that day, Talpur and his friend came back with vengeance on their minds and guns in their hands and eventually killed Shahzeb Khan, the only son of his parents.

The sad incident was described in this report published on the Express Tribune:

Shahzeb Khan didn’t even get time to change the clothes he wore to his sister’s valima (wedding reception). He was in his dark grey dress shirt and trousers when four 9mm bullets pierced through his car – a gleaming blue Swift which was an early birthday gift from his parents, and entered his body, eventually killing this popular 20 year old.

At first, the family had a hard time registering the case due to political pressure from the well-connected Talpurs and Jatois – two well-known Feudal families in Pakistan. “The police first registered a dummy First Information Report (FIR) but later it took him (Shahzeb's father) hours to re-register another version of the FIR naming the actual culprits” Dr. Awab Alvi told GV. He cautions:

If it could happen to a police officer’s son – it can happen to any person in Pakistan!

The names of key suspects in Shahzeb’s murder have been put on Pakistan's Exit Control List (ECL) and a team of investigators has been dispatched to different areas, as per this published report.

Social media responds

Interesting as it may sound, photos of the suspects have been uploaded on the Sindh police’s unofficial Facebook page and is being shared by friends of Shahzeb on their walls with the caption ‘Wanted Criminal’.

Friends and family of Shahzeb started a Facebook page to seek justice for his murder. The Page “In Memory of Shahzeb Khan“ had some 2,500 Likes in less than a day, and has surpassed 60,000 Likes till now (31 December 2012) brimming with messages like, ‘I’ll miss your smile, RIP and you were a real soldier.' Another message on the Facebook page reads:

Courtesy of the “In Memory of Shahzeb Khan” Facebook page

“Shahzeb Khan was a man of gold, an inspiration and a hero. It is now on our shoulders to bring the murderers of Shahzeb Khan to justice and insist on bringing about a change before it is too late to realize how the simple understanding of justice could have made the difference”

“Pakistan needs to wake up as it could happen to any Pakistani”, such tweets along with condolence messages were shared using the hashtag #JusticeForShahzebKhan

Prominent personalities including politician and chairman of Pakistan's Tehreek-e-Insaf party Imran Khan; Nuclear Scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan and musician (founder of Junoon band) Salman Ahmad have pledged their support to the Justice campaign. The response by Imran Khan was retweeted some 400 times:

Deeply disturbed to learn about the tragic cold blooded murder of young Shahzeb Khan in Karachi by a kin of some “influential” person.

Dr. Qadeer Khan's tweet:

We all should demand #JusticeForShahzebKhan. Stop it now or be ready to become the next Shahzeb. Decision is yours.

Salman Ahmed's reaction:

The killing of Shahzeb Khan is an attack on all of Pakistan's youth. I stand in solidarity with his brave father Aurangzeb.

Vigil for the fallen victim

Thousands gathered at Karachi Press Club on Sunday afternoon (30 December 2012) for a candle light vigil through a Facebook event.

Candle light vigil for the young victim in Karachi. Courtesy of the “In Memory of Shahzeb Khan” Facebook page

Protesters carrying posters and photographs of a charming Shahzeb, repeated slogans of “We want justice, Justice for Shahzeb Khan”, demanding suo motu action from Pakistan's chief justice.

Moved by the peaceful protest, Shahzeb’s friends, put this message on the Page afterwards:

Amazing turnout at the protest. We can’t thank enough to all the people who stood hand in hand protecting Shazeb Khan's Family, maintaining the discipline. This is just the first brick to the never ending revolution we AIM and bring down the cowards who take pride in misbehaving with our females, and taking lives of the innocents!

Protesters gathered in Karachi in support of Shahzeb. Courtesy of the “In Memory of Shahzeb Khan” Facebook page

Ahmed zuberi writes on the Facebook page:

I cannot put it in words how comforting it is to see the nation united for my brother and I'm sure he must be glad to see so many holding onto the fire that he sparked to burn down the feudal system.

Pakistan's Feudal mindset

Shahzeb, in reality, fell victim to the feudal elite mindset in the country and rising gun culture in the city Karachi. The incident served as a sad reminder of what the spoilt young sons of feudal landlords can do, points out this report, “Murdered in cold blood: For Sindh's feudals, Karachi lives come cheap.” Despite the fact that Shahzeb’s father himself is a police officer, there is little the police has been able to do, so far, to catch the alleged murderers. Taking lives in Karachi has become easy for people who have strong political backgrounds and power, said the devastated father of the young victim:

I had settled the dispute. Then why was my son killed like this. This is the brutal reign of the feudals. They don’t spare anyone.

The same report quoted the Investigation officer Murtaza (who is working on Shahzeb’s case) as saying that open use of arms across the city has become common:

“For students and young adults, carrying guns has become a trend. Fights break out and the first thing children do is take out guns on one another. Parliamentarians and influential travel in the city with their guards pointing guns at others. Their children do the same.”

Salman Ahmad, popular musician, brought the real problem to spotlight with these comments at ‏@sufisal:

Shahzeb's murder is not politically motivated. It is a result of guns in the hands of those who consider themselves above the law.

Pakistan's feudal system, widespread in rural areas, continues to enslave local people through debt bondage of generation after generation by landowners who sustain their hereditary rule over allocated land and exert their power.

Sadly, the same feudal elite mindset has sadly transferred into politics of Pakistan, because most politicians are actually from feudal backgrounds. Rights activists believe:

Feudalism is the real cause of the country’s plight and its abolishment is the only solution to Pakistan’s tribulations.

Commenting on an article in the express tribune, Shahid plead and asks:

Feudal need to be caught and hanged. Such a shame that we are still ruled by feudal! Can the anti-feudal parties and civil society raise a voice for this poor boy?

Karachi's gun culture

So why is the murder of one boy gaining such great support in Karachi? The biggest city of Pakistan which has a multi-ethnic population of 17 million people, has seen recurrent outbursts of violence, claiming hundreds of lives. Since 2003, nearly 5,549 people were killed in different types of violence in the city, including target killings, terrorism, sectarianism, says this report. And Shahzeb's murder is just the tip of a huge iceberg.

Though Shahzeb was not hit by the bullet of a target killer or terrorist but his murder speaks of the city sufferings caused by a gun culture that takes its toll on innocent citizens. In a country where even festive occasions (marriages) are often pronounced by the sound of gunfire, gun violence hardly makes it to the front pages of newspapers or prime time news bulletins.

Martin Luther King Jr. famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” and that is why Pakistani youth consider this attack an attack on every 20-year-old of the city.

Shahzeb Khan – Symbol of Hope

Soon after the social media campaign gained support, friends of Shahzeb made it clear that the protest was not merely for Shahzeb but for a greater cause to fight injustice and inequality in Pakistan. The campaign for “Justice to Shahzeb” is a beacon of light for justice, a voice for the hundreds of thousands of unknown fallen victims of Karachi. It is evident by the message at Shahzeb’s Page:

Join us to secure the lives of our young angels and snatch back a country that has fallen under the influence of inhumanity.

Asking to show support for Shahzeb and join the peaceful protest against the unjust incident and the unfavourable system of Pakistan, his friends urged:

Never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and greed.

In Shahzeb, Karachiites see their loved ones who were cruelly taken away by the city's ever increasing gun culture. And this is the why people are raising voice for this departed soul.

Pakistan: Aasia and Aafia – The Tale Of Two Pakistani Women

Sana Jamal — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:14:31 +0000

At a time when the whole world is deeply shaken and concerned over Aasia Bibi’s death sentence on charges of blasphemy, Pakistanis are equally taken aback by this controversial case. It reminds the nation of Dr. Aafia and both the cases are being compared by the citizens as well as the Pakistani media. As both negate the concepts of equality and justice.

Reportedly several Pakistanis find themselves equally concerned over the case of Aasia Bibi (a Pakistani Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy) the same way as they are distressed over the detention of Aafia Siddiqui (imprisoned for 86 years in USA jail). But it is unfortunate to note that the message of hatred is always spread across the world at a rapid rate than the message of harmony.

As Harris Khalique writes in his column

“Today, Pakistani Muslims who live in an insecure state and a fragmented society, oscillate between two ends – Aafia Siddiqui and Aasia Bibi. It is hugely difficult to have an objective assessment of Aafia Siddiqui’s case in public. How many politicians or opinion leaders have the courage to step out, when everyone is asking for her release by US authorities.”

I wrote earlier in Pakistan Observer on this issue:

Aasia Bibi, 45, a mother of five, a Pakistani Christian, was arrested for blasphemy. She has been in prison for one and a half years and on November 8, 2010, a local court sentenced to hang for defaming Prophet Mohammad under blasphemy laws.

In a report delivered to President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday, Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti recommended that Aasia Bibi, be pardoned or released from prison if her pending court appeal is not quickly addressed. The Minister has also suggested amendments to the nation's controversial blasphemy law.

The report followed calls for clemency by Pope Benedict XVI, human rights groups, newspapers and the governor of the province where Bibi was convicted, becoming the first woman condemned to hanging for blasphemy.

While rationally comparing the case of Aasia Bibi with the case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, one may find it totally different from the other but several Pakistani citizens and human rights activists believe that the two cases are no different as both deals with inequality, injustice and unfair rules of the societies.

Ahmed Quraishi, a public policy writer commented,

“Aasia Bibi is our sister and needs our help against a fake case. But the champions of her case must be Muslim scholars who know how tolerant and open-minded Islam is truly.”

He also pointed fingers towards the state’s silence and of many government officials who want to abolish the blasphemy law now but they never uttered a word against the injustice done to Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.

According to Express Tribune Editorial,

“Minorities are increasingly under pressure from the mischief of this deeply-flawed law and there is no one who would agitate the way some of us are agitating for the release of Aafia Siddiqi from an American jail.”

Farrukh Khan Pitafi writes in Daily Times

“Let me also remind you that I am one of the few liberal writers who called Dr Aafia Siddiqui the daughter of this nation. How on earth do you even begin to think that Aasia Bibi is not?”

Pressure mounts on President Asif Ali Zardari to weigh in on the fate of a Christian woman recently sentenced to death for blasphemy as the case has drawn the attention of the international community and has sparked street protests in the country.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws have been condemned globally from the time it was formulated. Pope Benedict XVI last week called for Bibi’s release and said Christians in Pakistan were “often victims of violence and discrimination.”
Comments of several Pakistanis condemning the blasphemy law and supporting Aasia just like Aafia proves the rational thinking of Pakistanis.

Condemning the extreme blasphemy law, Farrukh writes that,

“First, any such law where the state expresses partiality towards any faith is counterproductive for democracy and human rights. Second, I implore all those who contend that it is an Islamic law to first show us the grounds for it in the Holy Quran. If they cannot, they need to realise that it is counterproductive to the spirit and interest of Islam too. Last, as long as there is a blasphemy law, it will keep polarising society and thereby creating new grounds for the abuse of the law.”

What we need to realize is that “humanity is above all laws” and the nations who do not respect humanity are forced to face severe consequences.

As Mahtab bashir, a Pakistani journalist points out in his post titled ‘Aasia Bibi, Blasphemy and Chief Justice’

“The social attitudes, prejudiced laws and intolerant world views that breed in our society need to be thrown into the rubbish tip of history. The Blasphemy Law must be repealed. Pakistanis must be made to realise that religious zeal that condones murder and indifference towards the faith and beliefs of others will relegate us to the Dark Ages if we do not reverse these terrifying trends.”

Many Pakistanis also believe that the blasphemy law is not genuinely in accordance with Islamic values and teachings as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the foremost advocate of tolerance, justice and equality.

As Ayesha Siddiqa reminds us in her column titled “Sacrifice at the altar of pragmatism”

“The fact of the matter is that bigotry and intolerance has sunk into our society and state institutions. At the end of the day, this is not about religion but about using religion to gain greater power to molest the powerless. We have long forgotten the tradition of the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) who showed tolerance and mercy towards a non-Muslim woman known for throwing garbage at him. The story is that he went to inquire after her health when she didn’t show up to do her usual act. Sadly, we are incapable of applying such tolerance because our scholars, leaders, thinkers and judges are blinded by political pragmatism and lust for power.”

Pakistan: Dr. Aafia Siddiqui Case – A Veiled Mystery

Sana Jamal — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:12:17 +0000

“It is my judgment that Dr Siddiqui is sentenced to a period of incarceration of 86 years,” (for the attempted murder of US officers in Afghanistan) said Judge Richard Berman, US District Court Judge of a Federal Court in Manhattan on Sept. 23 2010. Pakistani citizen Dr. Aafia Siddiqui denounced the trial saying “(an appeal would be) a waste of time. I appeal to God.”

As soon as the court verdict was broadcast on media, anger mounted among the Pakistani citizens and thousands of people came out on streets protesting against the 86-year sentence of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui. Within few minutes after the ruling was announced, Siddiqui’s sister Fauzia addressed a press conference along with her mother, where she criticized the Pakistan government for not fulfilling their promises to bring Siddiqui back.

As a result of public outcry against the sentence, Pakistan government came under duress at home and the Interior Minister Rehman Malik has requested USA to repatriate Dr Aafia Siddiqui to Pakistan.

Composite picture of Aafia Siddiqui from her wanted poster at the FBI Website. Image via Wikipedia.

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, also known as the Ghost of Bagram or Prisoner 650, has been haunting the memories of thousands of Pakistanis ever since her mysterious absence was noticed by media in 2007. Siddiqui did her PhD in genetics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in USA. In March 2003, she mysteriously vanished from Karachi along with her three children. In fact it was only after British prisoner Moazzam Begg mentioned her in his book “The Enemy Combatant”, Human Rights Organizations and activists across the world took notice. On July 6, 2008 British journalist Yvonne Ridley, called for help for a Pakistani woman she believes has been held in isolation by the Americans in their Bagram detention center in Afghanistan, for over four years.

According to reports, 12-year old Ahmed (Dr Aafia’s son) was handed over to his aunt Fauzia Siddiqui in September 2008 after years of detention in a US military base in Afghanistan. Later on, media reported that a little girl named Fatima, was dropped off in front of the home of Siddiqui’s sister and the girl’s DNA matched that of Ahmed (Dr Aafia’s son). Meanwhile, a Pakistani Senator and chairman of the Pakistani Senate’s Standing Committee on Interior, Senator Talha Mehmood, “slammed the US for keeping the child in a military jail in a cold, dark room for seven years.”

After the return of two of her children, Aafia’s family began to hope that she will also return soon and continued the contacts with Pakistan government in order to ensure Aafia’s safety. But all their hopes ended in ashes with the news of Aafia’s imprisonment of 86 years.

Pakistani media and bloggers have a mixed reaction on this issue, some claiming that Aafia has been a subject of injustice while others view this incident as a lesson to learn the values of social justice.

Shaukat Hamdani writes at Express Blog:

“Regardless of what went on in the international media, it should be made clear that Dr Aafia has never been charged with terrorism. Rather, she is charged with snatching a US warrant officer’s rifle in mid -2008 while she was detained for questioning in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province and firing it at FBI agents and military personnel. However, none of the personnel were hit. Hence the nickname given to her by the American media ‘Lady al-Qaeda’ was totally uncalled for and must have influenced the jury. What is sad is that being such a core ally of the United States in the war against terror, our government has been able to achieve nothing in this regard, and the treatment a Pakistani citizen has received is just appalling.”

Faisal Kapadia writes:

Nobody can deny that the way she was treated in Bagram was despicable but whether the Pakistan government can actually secure the release of an individual who has been tried and convicted by a U.S court is the stuff of hilarity. Especially if the person concerned, is a U.S national.

Beenish Ahmed mentions some points to ponder:

“Siddiqui’s case has compelled some Pakistanis to look beyond social judgments to issues of social justice. Siddiqui’s personal story aside, the curious circumstances of her arrest and the gaping holes in the evidence withheld as classified has become a rallying point for anti-American sentiment in Pakistan.”

Views of the western writers are equally significant in this issue who are debating on the justice system of US courts in view of the alleged crimes of Aafia Siddiqui and the nature of her punishment.

According to Stephen Lendman’s report:

“Her case is one of America's most egregious examples of horrific abuse and injustice, climaxed by her virtual life sentence for an alleged crime she never committed.”

On Houston Criminal Lawyer, John Floyd and Billy Sinclair tells that the unusually long sentence is greater than necessary, cruel and unusual:

“The 86-year sentence imposed upon her by Judge Berman is just an unwarranted and cruel continuation of that torture..It is shameful, and her case will remain blight on our criminal justice system and the reputation of the United States throughout the world community until she is released.”

A poster from Dr. Aafia's site

Yvonne Ridley writes in a recent post at Countercurrents.org titled “Aafia Today, U.S. Citizens Tomorrow”:

The Pakistani government now needs to demand the repatriation of Aafia with immediate effect. The U.S. needs to shut up, back down, and show some humility by returning the Daughter of Pakistan.

And with a bit of luck, innocent U.S. citizens travelling abroad will not get caught up in the fallout of this violation of international law and human rights.

The case of Dr. Aafia has been mysterious from the very beginning but as a citizen or a state if we continue to overlook such cases, it will only ascend the list of missing persons in Pakistan and give rise to chaos in the society.

Pakistan Flood: Relief Efforts By PKKH Team

Sana Jamal — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:42:44 +0000

The team of bloggers of Pakistan Ka Khuda Hafiz (PKKH), Pakistan's leading alternative policy institute, has launched a massive relief effort for the flood victims called ‘Mere Log’ (meaning My People). On Thursday they have reached Thatta and Makli city with food, clean drinking water and medical supplies.

Pakistan: Horrid Act of Mob Shock The Citizens

Sana Jamal — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:34:42 +0000

As if the stories of human suffering, displacement of millions of people due to havoc caused by the flooding were not enough for the nation, yet another tragic incident started unfolding in Pakistan recently. Pakistanis are in shock as the news and video of the brutal mob-lynching of two teenage brothers were aired on local media on 22nd of August, 2010.

According to the local newspapers, the mob-lynching occurred on 15th August in Sialkot, in eastern Punjab province of Pakistan. Later, it turned out that the victims, Moiz Butt (17) and his brother Muneeb (15), were innocent and belonged to a respectable family.

Beating two boys in front of police and an enthusiastic crowd. Screenshot from YouTube Video

Apparently, the two boys in question had gotten into a fight over a cricket match and when they were headed out for another match early morning the following day, they were ambushed and once the townsfolk and the police noticed, the perpetrators blamed them for theft and the boys were beaten to death by a savage mob.

The video clips of the incident are the reason why everyone can feel the intensity of the incident. The origins of the video are unknown and there are reports that multiple men in the crowd recorded the attack using cell phones. The images of the boys’ bloodied bodies, but several faces in the crowd are clearly identifiable, including several police officers in uniform who watched.

The scene, caught on video and broadcast on news channels, has outraged and anguished Pakistanis. Here are the links (1, 2, and 3).

President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the killing and called for an inquiry vowing to punish the killers. The Interior Minister Rehman Malik asserted that the local citizens will not be allowed to create their own justice system.

The Supreme Court has taken notice of the double murder and a case was registered against 14 people.

Many Pakistani Bloggers have been outraged by this incident. Asadullah Qureshi, a blogger writes:

“We need to own up to the fact that the perpetrators arose from amongst us. After all is said and done, as long as a majority of the country, willingly or unwillingly, shuns reason in favour of this extremist sense of morality and justice, it is likely we will see such a tragedy again.”

Jahanzaib Haque at Express Blog highlights this issue by claiming ‘I am part of the Sialkot lynch mob':

“Let’s end the blame game. Let’s stop pointing fingers at Taliban, drugs, political parties, elite, police, army or even a global conspiracy is afoot. I will be the first to admit that I have made some terrible choices in my life. I am part of that mob in Sialkot. Despair is easy, hate is easy, apathy is easy, but for the sake of two brothers in Sialkot, we should try to change by effectively addressing the corruption within us. It is either that, or stand alongside the mob to watch on.”

The blogger further adds:

“In a country afflicted with back-to-back political and civil strife, war, terrorism, poverty and natural disaster, violent extremism (in all forms) is bound to flourish, nay become an outlet for venting the utter helplessness individuals feel at a personal level. And none of us are immune to its effect.”

Sadaf Khan, a journalist writes at her blog ‘Existential Quest’:

“Having seen the insane act, un-cut and un-blurred, I cannot even begin to comprehend just how anybody with the least bit of humanity, could actually stand there are watch the barbarians without so much as flinching. The double murder in Sialkot is not just an unfortunate and horrifying incident; it is not just a matter of an out of control mob. The incident, in fact is proof that we as a society have become so devastatingly barbaric, that dozens can actually stand and watch, while some men literally beat the life out of two helpless teenagers.

Barbarians within a barbaric crowd, Is there any thing, any thing in the world that could actually be termed fair punishment for these people?”

Haroon Riaz, a free lance writer made following remarks in his insightful article ‘The Sialkot Carnage: Are Pakistanis Becoming a Savage Nation?’:

“I have a feeling these brutal savages knew who these boys were and that they were specifically targeted. I have a feeling that there is more to this story, which is being covered up by the people, the corrupt DPO, the local administration and the criminal police of the area.
This tragic and horrific incident should get every Pakistani worried and thinking. It is not an everyday incident or act of crime at all. For if they do not speak out against it, and talk about it, so to educate the unaware masses out there, many of them could find the same treatment on the streets.”

This incident also proves to be a wakeup call for Pakistan's law-enforcing agencies as is evident from the following views:

Fiverupees comments:

“”.. Authority exists only if people believe it exists. Do citizens believe that they will get justice if they leave it up to the state? If yes, it makes sense to leave it in its hands. If not, it doesn't, and by that very action, they undermine the authority of the state.

When government doesn't work, people make their own personal governments. 180 million mini-governments is a recipe for disaster; it is a return to the state of nature. The media and technological revolutions in this country have meant that people are increasingly aware that government doesn't work. In my mind, this issue — of how to get the state to do the simple things right – will be the public policy issue that serious analysts and activists must grapple with for the next ten or fifteen years. The very deep and structural change Pakistan is going through demand nothing less.”

Dawn newspaper's editorial on ‘Mob justice’ comments:

“When those tasked with law enforcement and governance fail to deliver and a general sense of hopelessness and injustice prevails in society, people take matters into their own hands.”

Horrific as the incident may sound but ‘mob justice’ has been quite the norm in some rural parts of the country. Mob justice or the rule of might is right is an action prevailing in societies who have lost the trust in the law of state so the societies turn into vigilantes.

While the causes of the incident are being probed by the authorities, one evident cause is the rise of extremism in our society which has its roots in ignorance and no doubt ‘ignorance is the root and stem of every evil.’