True Story Of The 9-Month-Old Baby Boy Who Was Arrested And Shockingly Charged With Attempted Murder In Pakistan
Even though there are universal laws, every country has its own unique set of laws that govern and protect its people.
Still, there are some laws that are quite extreme. In 2014, the family of a 9 month-old boy who was shockingly charged with attempted murder in Pakistan took the boy into hiding, a relative told Reuters.
The baby boy was charged with attempted murder together with his father and grandfather.
In the city of Lahore in 2014, the baby boy, Musa Khan, made an appearance in court with his family.
The charge came after his father and grandfather were present in a crowd of people who protested against gas cuts and price increases.
As gas company workers attempted to collect past due bills among the crowd of protesters, Pakistani police alleged that they were being stoned.
Baby Musa and his family were among those who were charged for the stoning, or rather, attempted murder.
Owing to this case, Pakistan’s criminal justice system gained vast International attention. Due to the charge, the baby’s grandfather took Baby Musa into hiding.
“Police are vindictive. Now they are trying to settle the issue on personal grounds, that’s why I sent my grandson to Faisalabad for protection,” Muhammad Yasin said, referring to a central Pakistani city.
Reuters reported that the baby was on bail but was expected to appear at his next court hearing on April 12, 2014.
The grandfather also explained that having the child charged with attempted murder brought tremendous stress and pressure on the family.
Baby Musa cried at his first court appearance, as an official took his fingerprints.
Reuters reported that later on that the baby sucked on his bottle of milk and tried to grab journalists’ microphones as his grandfather spoke to the media.
“He does not even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly,” Yasin told the press as they surrounded the baby boy.
“How can he stone the police?” many ask. It turns out that Baby Musa was only charged with attempted murder because an official complained in a crime report that the whole family had beaten him up and injured his head.
Subsequently, everyone, including the 9-month-old baby was charged.
This case is just one of many that brought Pakistan’s criminal justice system some international attention.
According to Reuters, Pakistan’s police were poorly trained, underpaid and often seen as corrupt. Their crimes were often considered human rights Abuses.
Many of Pakistan’s police are unable to properly write up a police report due to lack of education and proper training.
Dismissing those who believe Pakistan was unjust for charging the baby boy, Khan assured that officials will begin looking into the case seriously.
“The provincial chief minister has directed police authorities to take action against the officials who booked the infant,” he stated.
Luckily for baby Musa, a Pakistani judge dismissed his charges on April 12 2014 when he appeared for the second time in court.