Pakistani sentenced to stand out in the Sun for year

International Desk: A Pakistani man who hit a policeman with his motorcycle has been given an unusual punishment by the court - standing at a traffic signal for two hours every Friday for a whole year holding a placard on speed awareness.

Muhammad Qasim, 34, was convicted of rashly riding a motorbike and injuring a constable. A Judicial Magistrate sentenced Qasim to stand on MA Jinnah road, which is typically busy with traffic, holding a placard inscribed with the message 'Be careful! Driving negligently and carelessly can kill'. He has to carry out his task every Friday for two hours straight till October 11, 2018.

When Qasim's motorcycle hit the constable, the riders also fell off the bike. They were immediately arrested by other policemen standing nearby.

Qasim said the court gave him an option between holding the placard for a year or going to jail. He said he is grateful for the compassion shown by the court, as he would have been branded a criminal if he had to go to prison. Saying he had no problems in carrying out his designated punishment, Qasim also said his case is a lesson for others on the road.

"If the court had sent me to jail, I would have been declared a criminal. I am thankful to the judicial magistrate for showing some compassion. I have no problems standing for two hours every week holding this banner and it is also a lesson for others," Qasim said.

Five policemen had testified against Muhammed Qasim and told the judge that the accused man was riding against traffic.

Source: NDTV

risingbd/Dhaka/October 21, 2017/A K Azad