have identity cards of Shafqat’s family which also show that Shafqat was a juvenile in 2004. Moreover, JPP has also submitted identity card of one of Shafqat’s class fellows to the Interior Ministry which also can help determine Shafqat’s age, Siddiqui said.
Regarding the ongoing inquiry in the Federal Investigation Agency, the JPP maintains that it was apprised of the scope and constitution of the inquiry committee. Shahab Siddiqui said that one deputy director of FIA wrote a letter to JPP to appear before the committee on April 2 without explaining anything. He mentioned that the JPP has been requesting the Interior Ministry to inform it about the constitution and scope of the inquiry but it never told anything. He said that before April 2, the media aired news stories that FIA has completed its inquiry. “Then we said the FIA has already completed its inquiry without listening to the other side, so what is the advantage of going before the committee?” Siddiqui added. He said that the interior minister had said that it will be an open inquiry but it does not appear so. He maintained that a protest in this regard has already been lodged with the Interior Ministry.
Regarding the birth certificate being fake, Siddiqui replied that if the birth certificate was to be made a fake one then what was the reason of mentioning the date of December 2014 on it? The date of issuance reveals that the certificate was issued genuinely because birth certificates are obtained the way Shafqat’s was obtained. He reiterated that when it comes to age, it is only the documentary evidence on which the investigators and courts have to depend.
On the other hand, the jail and police record confirm that Shafqat, the killer, was 23 in 2004 and his latest photo obtained by the Interior Ministry shows him to be above 30 now. His 2004 picture, taken soon after his arrest, also negates the propaganda which forced the government to defer his execution for 30 days.