Home » Sarmad Khoosat’s #NoTimetoSleep: Evocative and Moving.

Sarmad Khoosat’s #NoTimetoSleep: Evocative and Moving.

Sarmad Khoosat and the Justice Project teamed up with Dawn to create a twenty four hour live drama to document and depict the last twenty four hours of a death row inmate.

The one day drama is based on the life of Dr. Zulfiqar Ali Khan. He and his brother were traveling to their village when they were intercepted by two boys. Zulfiqaar’s brother, Khurshid, got shot and Zulfiqaar shot in self defense and the two boys were killed. Zulfiqaar spent the next many years on the death row, appealing to be pardoned. He was finally executed.

He was a man of letters in jail. He taught many people and earned many diplomas in jail. In this docudrama, Sarmad Khoosat is livestreamed for twenty four hours to show the tiniest details of an inmate who is about to be executed. He meets his family, reads the Quran, offers his prayers, smokes a cigarette, lies down, writes a poem by Robert Frost on the floor and waits for the time to come where his life eventually ends.

Sarmad Khoosat’s performance was both brave and groundbreaking. The performance was live streamed in the UK as well and received critical acclaim from audiences.

 

https://twitter.com/AtikaRehman/status/1050009877765128193

https://twitter.com/hussainjahanzeb/status/1049920290376097792

Actress Mahira Khan gave a special shout out to Sarmad and for everyone to watch this drama:

Whatever your opinion on death penalty may be, the performance was a compelling tale to decide whether or not a punishment like that is even fair. In Zulfiqaar’s case, for example, he was given capital punishment in an act of self-defense. There are many other instances where people are given death sentences over crimes that do not equate loss of life.

 

https://www.facebook.com/dawndotcom/photos/a.250924510441/10161070617180442/?type=3&theater

Another argument is that whether the state is even allowed to take a life or if the state should have the power to execute its citizens. Most developed countries have done away with capital punishment. However countries like Saudi Arabia and United States of America still employ capital punishment in their legal systems.

Here are some more reactions from the performance from across social media.

https://twitter.com/thefakebeardo/status/1050033693828497408

https://twitter.com/shmyla/status/1050035978340057088

 

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