A dr. Shahnawaz Kunhbar from Umerkot, Sindh, was killed in a police raid following accusations of blasphemy, raising concerns over rising extrajudicial killings in Pakistan. Dr. Shahnawaz Kunhbar, accused of posting blasphemous content on social media, was shot dead in an alleged police encounter in Mirpurkhas on Thursday.
The violence started on Wednesday when a large congregation of rioting protestors gathered outside the local press club in Umerkot, seeking the instant arrest of Dr Kunhbar. Rioting protestors, in their anger, set alight a police vehicle. The standoff was only cooled down after the Senior Superintendent of Police in Umerkot assured the protestors that an FIR would be registered against the accused.
After this, the authorities launched a raid to catch Dr. Kunhbar, who was reported to have been hiding with another armed companion. As the police reports said, the accused had attempted to run while opening fire to evade being caught. During the exchange of fire, it was reported that Dr. Kunhbar had died after he had been allegedly hit by a bullet from his companion.
This incident precedes another alarming case earlier in September when Abdul Ali, the owner of a hotel, who was accused of blasphemy, was shot dead by a police constable while the latter had him in custody in Quetta. Such back-to-back occurrences of this type have raised significant concern regarding an ascending trend of extrajudicial killings in cases of blasphemy.
The majority of human rights organizations have condemned these events, calling for reforms of judicial oversight and law enforcement in order to prevent such abusive practices about the blasphemy law as well as a fair trial for the accused.
To Read More: Local News