Mohammad Abdul Qader, 55, is contemplating a pardon for the four Indians convicted of murdering his son in the capital two years ago. Mohammad Ashraf, Qader's murdered son, arrived here in 2007 and worked for two years as a driver in a private firm. Qader, from the southern Indian state of Karnataka, said he and his son lived in a rented room together. However, his son decided to move to a place close to his company. Ashraf was killed by four of his fellow countrymen in a quarrel over money matters just 15 days after he moved to his new accommodation. The most agonizing time for Qader was when he lost all contact with his son. Ashraf's mobile phone was switched off, and the murderers, all from Kerala, had burned Ashraf's Iqama and other documents, such as his driving license, so that police could not identify his body. Qader said he visited various hospitals and several police stations to search for his son. Qader, a butcher by profession at a meat shop in Riyadh, went to the Indian Embassy to report that his son was missing. The embassy then asked Qader to provide a police report. It was then that the police informed him of an unidentified body found in Deera, which turned out to be that of his son. Qader said that when he saw his son's body, he felt that his life had been completely shattered. “I wanted nothing more than to see the four murderers face the gallows because my son was brutally murdered and his body was dumped somewhere in Deera district,” Qader recalled. Qader said he never wants to see the faces of those who killed his son, “because I have suffered an irreparable loss”. However, the families of the four who have been convicted of the murder, Mohammad Mustafa, Faisal, Mustafa Kunnath and Shakeer, all in their 30s, have launched an appeal through Pravasi Rehabilitation, a Riyadh-based social organization, to persuade Qader to be merciful. Shihab Kottakad, secretary general of Pravasi Rehabilitation, intervened in the case in an attempt to convince Qader that the families of the convicted murderers were also suffering. All the convicts have wives and children except Shakeer, a bachelor. Kottakad said that after the Higher Court verdict that convicted the four, the case has been sent to the Supreme Court for fixing a date of execution. The Indian Embassy has been extending all possible help in the court proceedings, said Kottakad. “I have been attempting to persuade Qader to pardon the four convicts and accept blood money,” said Kottakad, adding that Qader is showing signs of compassion and mercy. Kottakad said Qader's pronunciation of pardon in a court of law would amount to the exercise of private rights, but that the four would still have to satisfy public rights, which the judicial council would decide. “If Qader granted his pardon, the case would have to go to the court for a new verdict,” said Kottakad. The Kerala Chief Minister's Office also intervened after the families of the convicts launched an appeal for mercy. Members of the families of the four convicted men continue to call from India urging Kottakad to persuade Qader and to attempt to get a lenient punishment from the court because the murder was not premeditated, Kottakad said.
