Dear Pakistan, WTF? An eight month old baby charged with murder?

From NBC:

... Mohammad Musa Khan appeared in court in the city of Lahore last week, charged with attempted murder along with his father and grandfather after a mob protesting against gas cuts and price increases stoned police and gas company workers trying to collect overdue bills.

"Police are vindictive. Now they are trying to settle the issue on personal grounds, that's why I sent my grandson to Faisalabad for protection," the baby's grandfather, Muhammad Yasin, told Reuters, referring to a central Pakistani city.

The baby is on bail and due to appear at the next hearing on April 12 but Yasin said he was not sure if he would take him to court for the case.

...

At his first appearance in court last week, Musa cried while his fingerprints were taken by a court official. Later, the baby sucked on a bottle of milk and tried to grab journalists' microphones as his grandfather spoke to the media.

"He does not even know how to pick up his milk bottle properly, how can he stone the police?" Yasin asked journalists at the court last Thursday.

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Could it be a media campaign by Pakistan government to have its legal system perceived as advanced as, or more advanced than the U.S.'?

Here, capital punishment for minors is a point of pride for some, esp. in TX, OK, & South Carolina. Such killing has been touted as signalling "how seriously we take the sanctity of life."

By Buck Field (not verified) on 08 Apr 2014 #permalink

According to other reports I've seen about this, Pakistan actually has a law prohibiting criminal charges against children below a certain age (and this baby certainly qualifies), because a reasonable person would believe that the kid didn't know better. But of course, that law is supposed to be enforced by the same police that are pressing the charges. The central government can't do much about that without antagonizing radical Islamists, whose acquiescence (if not actual support) is needed to maintain anything approximating a functional government. So Yasin's claim about vindictive police is at least superficially plausible.

By Eric Lund (not verified) on 08 Apr 2014 #permalink

Probably a translation error somewhere, but that's not a 9 month old.

By Jeff Fisher (not verified) on 11 Apr 2014 #permalink

The original story now says nine months old. They do grow up so fast!

Yea, 18 months could be right.

Just google images for "9 month old" and... well its pretty clear. 9 month olds look like babies. Giant spherical heads, shorter legs, tiny hands, etc. The kid in that picture is a toddler. And, yea standing very steadily.

By Jeff Fisher (not verified) on 15 Apr 2014 #permalink

In a valiant effort to avoid the slightest appearance of a
"total absurdity" gap with Pakistan, South Carolina's Senate is proposing a law that would extend the rights conveyed by state's Stand Your Ground law to unborn fetuses from the moment of conception.

One can only wonder what proposals we would see if Pakistan were continuing unrelenting drone attacks in our own "tribal regions."

http://tinyurl.com/pzusytp

By John Puma (not verified) on 15 Apr 2014 #permalink

At one point CNN referred to the individual as an "8 month old toddler."

So the real story is that they've got the World's Youngest Toddler.

John, if every unborn individual had a hand gun, we would see a lot less crime!

if every unborn individual were given a hand gun, but no gun "safety" class, it might turn out to be the method of birth control all could accept.

By John Puma (not verified) on 16 Apr 2014 #permalink

Toddling at 9 months is early, but not remarkable. Protesting high costs of energy and throwing stones at the authorities is.

it shows a serious attempt of a state to demonstrate how rediculous they are...

By michael picciotto (not verified) on 10 Sep 2014 #permalink