Police Drop Attempted Murder Charges Against Baby Musa In Pakistan

I missed the story about the Pakistani baby boy who was arrested and charged with attempted murder. The 9-month-old faced a jail sentence along with four adults after participating in a protest against the gas company that was disconnecting the service of poor folk in a Lahore slum after they had failed to pay their bill. Musa Khan was taken to the protest by his father and grandfather, it turned violent (no surprise there), stones were hurled at gas workers, and the 3 were arrested.

After global outrage, Pakistani authorities have dropped the charges against baby-Musa.

Critics say the charges reflected the tendency of the Pakistani police to lodge exaggerated complaints against poor families.

On Saturday, though, the police withdrew the charges against Musa, the baby’s lawyer, Irfan Tarar, told The Associated Press.

The case against the baby led to widespread ridicule being heaped against the Pakistani legal system, particularly after little Musa was photographed crying while being fingerprinted — and he then had to be comforted with a bottle of milk. His family subsequently moved him out of Lahore to Faisalabad, citing safety reasons.

Yep, for years Osama Bin Laden had safe-haven in Pakistan, the same goes for members of al-Qaeda, and a toddler is arrested because his dad and grandad allegedly threw stones during a protest.

Way to go Pakistan.

Source: NY Times