After 20 months' negotiations, the family of an Indian murdered in Jeddah consented to spare his killer for blood money as per the Shariah. The consent was given during a General Court session to decide on reconciliation or the death sentence. The family of Furqan Ahmad Naseem consented to spare his killer, Jamal Zaheer, from beheading for SR120,000 blood money, on condition that the clemency not be legally endorsed until the money is paid to the attorney of the deceased's heirs. The court session was attended by the attorney of the deceased's family, Ansari Zain Ahmad, who arrived from India. Ansari said that the deceased's mother, Entizar-un-Nisa'a and his wife, Shahinaz Furqan, along with his three children have decided to spare the killer for the blood money only when the money is actually paid. He said they reserve the right of demanding the beheading in case the amount was not paid. The killer had stabbed the deceased to death in the chest over a financial dispute. Consul Welfare K.K.Vijayan said that in these kinds of cases, the Indian Consulate usually gives proper attention if the victim's family seeks its support. “We formulate the documents and contact the (Saudi) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ask them to co-operate with the family of the victims and do justice according to the law of the land. “But we cannot interfere directly and in many cases the families of the victims interact directly with the Saudi government authorities,” Vijayan said. – With additional reporting by Sameera Aziz. __
