Zahid Masih was hanged to death on March 12, 2008, in Peshawar jail. He was arrested along with three Muslims on accusations of molesting and murdering a child of an army officer in 2005. The Pakistan Army investigators found Muslim accused to be innocent and charged Zahid Masih, who was janitor in regiment. His case was sent to court martial where he was sentenced o death in days of proceedings.
According to family of Zahid Masih, he was not provided with any legal assistance by Pakistan armed forces nor he was permitted to hire his civil attorney. The death was creeping towards illiterate Zahid Masih in one of military cantonment in North West Frontier Province while he was pleading his innocence.
The mother of Zahid Masih filed clemency appeals with President of Pakistan but it was denied to set his execution. The protests by Christian organization to delay hanging of Zahid Masih in holy lent were also ignored when jail manual prohibits hanging during Islamic month of fasting.
The execution of Zahid Masih in short period of two years is exemplary in history of Pakistan where terrorists are waiting from decades on death row. The criminals who gang raped are free in streets after appeals in higher courts. The Muslim politicians who murdered opponents are addressing rallies and winning parliament elections. There are thousands of clemency appeals pending from years in President house to give life to criminals. Why such a swift moves to hang Zahid Masih?
We are reading in press, the story of an Indian spy Kashmira Singh, who waited for decades on his clemency appeal against death sentence and released after 35 years from Pakistan jail. Why clemency appeal of Zahid Masih was denied? Was it due to pressure from Pakistan Armed Forces on President of Pakistan?
The janitors in Pakistan Armed forces are recruited on temporary basis from illiterate Christian community. The janitors do not have right of promotion or other benefits in rules of service in Pakistan army. The Janitor is not treated as soldier nor have any opportunity of training in warfare. When Janitor is not a soldier in Pakistan army, how case of Zahid Masih was forwarded to martial law court?
The accusation of child molesting on Pakistani Christian in army is doubtful in presence of Muslim soldiers who were acquitted from case. Every one knows that certain ethnic groups of Pakistani Muslims are habitual of keeping boys in homes for sex side by side with their wife. There are brothels of sex boys in many areas from where armed forces recruit soldiers. In such circumstances, why three other Muslims accused in case are free?
What about our champions of revival of justice and justices in Pakistan? Why they kept silent on execution of Zahid Masih? They ignored hanging of Zahid Masih because he was Christian? Where were our higher courts? Why no action on Suo-motto by our honorable judged?
The mother of Zahid Masih is crying on dead body of his son and challenging to justice in Pakistan. She is saying "you killed my innocent son who was illiterate and unable to defend himself in military court"