Amnesty International has called for a “thorough, impartial and independent” probe into the recent two killings of blasphemy suspects in Sindh and Balochistan by policemen.
On September 12, police constable Saad Khan Sarhadi gunned down a blasphemy suspect, Abdul Ali, inside the lockup of the Cantt Police Station in Quetta.
A week later, Umerkot-based doctor Shah Nawaz Kunhbar was shot dead by police in an ‘encounter’ in Mirpurkhas. When the body was handed over to his family, they were pursued by zealots who snatched the corpse and set it on fire.
In a statement issued on Friday night by Amnesty’s South Asia office, Amnesty said that “Pakistani authorities should complete a thorough, impartial and independent investigation into the incidents”.
It further called upon the government to “ensure those responsible are prosecuted in fair and transparent trials, without resorting to the death penalty”.
“The horrific spate of extrajudicial killings of people accused of blasphemy in Pakistan highlights the government’s ongoing failure to uphold their obligation to respect and protect human rights, including the right to life, freedom of religion or belief, and prohibition of discrimination,” the statement read.
The non-government organisation called on Pakistan to “immediately repeal the blasphemy laws which have since long helped perpetuate discrimination and violence”.
Amnesty highlighted that since May, “at least four people accused of blasphemy have been killed in mob violence” — one in each province.
Besides the Umerkot and Quetta killings, two incidents took place in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within a month’s span.
On May 25, police in Punjab’s Sargodha had rescued a Christian man from a lynch mob over a desecration allegation, who then succumbed to his injuries days later.
According to a report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), it was highly likely that the incident was not just mob violence but a targeted attack on Nazir Masih’s family, emanating from a personal dispute.
On June 20, a man was killed by a mob over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in KP’s Swat district. The mob had then set fire to the suspect’s body, the police station and a police vehicle, while the unrest left eight people injured.
Mirpurkhas DIG, 9 others officials suspended
Meanwhile, 10 police officials, including two officers from Mirpurkhas announced earlier, were suspended.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Javed Soonharo Jiskani and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Captain Muhammad Asad Ali of Mirpurkhas were placed under suspension with immediate effect.
“Their charge sheets/statement of allegations shall be issued separately,” read the Sindh chief secretary’s order dated September 20, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.
It further said the headquarters of the DIG and SSP during the period of their suspension shall be at the Central Police Office in Karachi.
A letter from the Establishment Division, issued on Friday and seen by Dawn.com, stated that the officers’ suspension was confirmed for a period of 120 days. It also sought the charge sheet from the Sindh government at the earliest.
Four officials each of the Sindhri police station and the Mirpurkhas Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) team were also suspended.
According to an order issued on Friday by Shabir Ahmed Sethar, who was given the additional charge of Mirpurkhas SSP, Sindhri Station House Officer (SHO) Niaz Khoso was among those suspended.
Three other Sindhri cops, the Mirpurkhas CIA superintendent of police and three other CIA men were also suspended, with “pending enquiry into their conduct”.
Umerkot doctor’s family blames police
Dr Kunbhar’s mother demanded protection and exemplary punishment for the police officers involved in the alleged “extrajudicial” killing.
In a statement, she accused the police of killing her son, burning his body and inciting the mob. She appealed for a judicial inquiry into the incident, rejecting the police investigation ordered by the Sindh Home Department.
Talking to Dawn, she recounted that her family had entrusted her son to the police in Karachi after receiving assurances from Umerkot taluka SHO Allah Dino that he would be safe.
However, she alleged that this trust was breached, leading to her son’s death in what she called an “extrajudicial act”.
Quetta cop files bail plea
In a separate development, two lawyers, including the Quetta Bar Association president, have filed the bail application for Sarhadi, the police constable who killed the under-custody suspect Ali.
The bail application was filed in a local court on Friday after his family handed over the case to QBA president Qari Rehmatullah Khan Advocate. After the initial hearing on Friday, the court adjourned further proceedings till September 25.
Some other lawyers have also announced that they will plead Sarhadi’s case free of cost. Senator Abdul Shakoor Ghabizai of JUI-F has also announced to bear all legal expenses.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family, including his two sons and elders of the Nourzai tribe, have announced not to pursue the murder case. They have also pardoned the police constable.
Civil society demands judicial inquiry into Umerkot killing
The Umerkot incident has provoked outrage from civil society groups, who have condemned the killing as “extrajudicial”.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC), a coalition of human rights defenders, and the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) demanded a judicial inquiry into Dr Kunbhar’s death.
The JAC demanded that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hasan Lanjar take immediate action. SANA called for the arrest of the officers involved in the “extrajudicial killing” of the doctor.
In a meeting at the National Commission for Human Rights (NHR) in Sindh, prominent activists — including Anis Haroon, Advocate Ali Palh, retired Justice Majida Razvi, Qazi Khizar and Sohail Sangi — rejected the police inquiry ordered by the Sindh home department.
They demanded that first information reports (FIRs) be registered against all police officers “involved in the extrajudicial killing”.
They also called for the international community, including the European Commission and US embassies, to deny visas and scholarships to the police officers involved, “who don’t respect human rights”.
The JAC accused the police of violating the trust of Dr Kunbhar’s family, who had voluntarily handed him over to authorities in Karachi. After the suspect’s death, two additional FIRs were registered against him, which the civil society denounced as a “drama”.
They also condemned the fact that the body was handed over to the family at night without police protection, allowing a mob to attack and burn the body before burial.
The meeting also deplored a nexus among police, a PPP lawmaker and religious extremists, who they said were glorifying the incident. They demanded the PPP leadership act against MNA Pir Ameer Ali Shah, who “glamourised the offence” by garlanding the police officers.
Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Chairman Iqbal Detho also visited Umerkot and met with the bereaved family, local officials and civil society members. He expressed concern that for two days, Umerkot had been engulfed in chaos while police appeared to be under the influence of the mob.
The District Bar Association of Umerkot also condemned the police’s conduct. In a resolution passed during a meeting, the association criticised the police for acting like extremists and violating constitutional rights by killing the accused in a “staged encounter”.
