Asim Mehmood criticises ‘selective use of Islamic law’ for powerful people in Pakistan

Renowned actor Asim Mehmood shared his views on the settlement between the parties involved in the Karsaz accident case, questioning the double standards in applying Islamic law within the country according to convenience.

Earlier today, a local court in Karachi approved bail of the suspect Natasha Danish after a compromise between the deceased victims' family and the accused, under the Islamic law of Diyat, which refers to the financial compensation for the victims of murder.

Taking to Instagram, Asim criticised the country's laws are applied disparately to the weak and the privileged classes.

He questioned, "Why rape suspects are not punished under Islamic law if Diyat was used to pardon the Karsaz accident accused."

"Why are the hands of thieves not amputated when they are apprehended committing a crime?" the Inteqam actor continued.

"Islamic laws are applied selectively to the advantage of powerful individuals, whereas Pakistan's laws are utilised to discredit the weak," Asim Mehmood opined.

Background of the case:

The driver, allegedly a member of the prominent Gul Ahmed family, was involved in a car accident on August 19 that resulted in the tragic deaths of two persons and left four others injured.

In the accident, Amna Arif, along with her father, lost her life when a speeding car driven by the suspect lost control and rammed into four motorcycles and two cars on Karsaz Road.

Four others were injured in the accident, out of which one was critically injured.

Abdus Salam, one of the four victims injured, was put on a ventilator after his condition deteriorated due to his injuries, according to family sources.

Following the incident, several Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage emerged in which the suspect was seen committing the crime.

Natasha was arrested by the police from the crime scene and was sent to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC) for a medical checkup.

According to sources, the woman was intoxicated at the time of the accident.

The suspect’s lawyer, Amir Mansoob, said his client was a psychiatric patient and had been under treatment for her condition for five years.

Natasha's counsel told the media that his client had no memory of the incident and was "not in the right frame of mind".

In response, the reporters asked why the family allowed the suspect to drive a car in such "a severe mental condition".

The lawyer claimed the family was unaware that Natasha had taken the car as "they had imposed restrictions on her due to her mental condition".

However, she was declared mentally fit by the psychiatrist of JPMC.

Later, the City Court in the port city sent Natasha to jail on a 14-day judicial remand on August 21.

On August 31, she was booked in another case for drug use. The case was registered at the Bahadurabad police station after the presence of banned drugs was confirmed in the urine and blood samples of the accused.

However, on September 2, the suspect was granted permission to appear in the court hearing via video link due to security reasons.

On August 4, she also filed a bail plea in the court citing her history of mental health issues and previous treatments from multiple psychiatrists. 

Later, the court issued notices to the relevant parties regarding her bail application.