A week after police in Pakistan allegedly killed a Muslim accused of blasphemy, Muslims celebrated the murder of another blasphemy suspect by bestowing garlands on police suspected of killing him, sources said.
The killing of a Muslim doctor in Sindh Province on Thursday (Sept. 19) after he was charged with blasphemy the previous day followed the murder of Abdul Ali in Quetta, Balochistan Province on Sept. 12, shocking rights advocates, Christians and other religious minorities vulnerable to vigilante attacks rooted in Pakistan’s widely condemned blasphemy laws.
The Muslim doctor slain in Sindh Province, Shah Nawaz Kumhbar, was accused of disrespecting Islam’s prophet, Muhammad, on Wednesday (Sept. 18) by Umerkot police, who registered a case against him under Section 295-C of the blasphemy laws, which carries a mandatory death sentence for convicts.
Accused of posting disparaging content on social media, Kumhbar had posted a video on Wednesday (Sept. 18) saying his account had been hacked and that he could not imagine disrespecting Muhammad. Islamist groups had demanded the arrest of the doctor, who was said to suffer a mental disorder, and they mounted protests and burned a police van during demonstrations.
Circumstances of Kumbhar’s death were unclear. Police claimed he was riding a motorcycle with a colleague on Thursday (Sept. 19) when he was stopped at a checkpoint and opened fire on the officers, resulting in a shootout in which he was killed. After rights organizations raised suspicions about that account, however, police changed their statement, saying he was shot dead by the colleague who then fled scene.
Local media, however, reported that Kumbhar had escaped to Karachi after allegations against him surfaced, and that Umerkot police arrested him and brought him to Mirpur Khas District, where Sindhri police allegedly killed him in an “encounter.” Police denied arresting Kumbhar from Karachi.
A video that now suspended Mirpur Khas Deputy Inspector General Javed Jiskani posted on social media shows leaders of an Islamist group garlanding him with flowers after the killing of Kumbhar.
“When police officers start acting like vigilantes, there’s no hope left for justice,” attorney Lazar Allah Rakha told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News.
“These officers have sworn to protect citizens, including those accused of crimes, but by indulging in extrajudicial killings they are not only breaking their oaths but also motivating others to follow their example.”
Rakha, who has successfully defended several people accused of blasphemy, said the recent violence was “shocking and disturbing for all progressive Pakistanis, particularly the vulnerable Christian community.”
“If people and police personnel start assuming the role of judge and executioner, then no one will be safe, including lawyers, as they could be considered facilitators of alleged blasphemers,” he said. “This is a very dangerous trend, and the government must act now to curb it before it gets too late.”
After Kumbhar’s death, his body was handed over to his family, who brought it to his native village Janhero for burial, but an Islamist mob refused to let them bury it. They later reportedly seized his body and set it on fire.
Kumbhar is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter.
Media reports quoting Kumbhar’s family and locals stated that he had struggled with a mental disorder and had been under treatment for four years. Kumbhar was a dedicated doctor who went missing from work on Sept. 12, possibly because of a “psychotic episode,” according to the Umerkot District Headquarters Hospital medical superintendent.
A doctor based in Ireland who knew Kumbhar, Dr. Mataro Hingorjo, told Dawn newspaper that he was a “deeply religious person.”
“Academically, he was among the top 10 in his class – an intelligent, dedicated nationalist with a strong spiritual side, at least during his periods of mental clarity,” Hingorjo reportedly said.
‘Alarming Situation’
While the Sindh government has suspended Mirpur Khas Division DIG Jiskani, Senior Superintendent of Police Asad Ali and eight other policemen and ordered an investigation, international and local human rights organizations warned about abuses by law enforcement officials.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said in a press statement that it was “gravely concerned by the alleged extrajudicial killing of two people accused of blasphemy.”
“This pattern of violence in cases of blasphemy, in which law enforcement personnel are allegedly involved, is an alarming trend,” the statement read.
Amnesty International also called for an investigation into the killings of Kumbhar and Ali.
“Pakistani authorities should complete a thorough, impartial and independent investigation into the incidents,” Amnesty’s South Asia office said in a press statement, calling on the government to ensure that those responsible are prosecuted in fair and transparent trials.
“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.
Though killings of blasphemy suspects by mobs are common, those by police are rare in Pakistan. Accusations or mere rumors of blasphemy spark rioting and rampage by Muslim mobs that can escalate into killings.
Under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death, though authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge in attacks on blasphemy suspects in recent years.
In June, a mob broke into a police station in the northwestern town of Madyan, seized a tourist and killed him over allegations that he had desecrated the Quran.
In May, a mob attacked a 75-year-old Christian in Sargodha after he was falsely accused of desecrating the Quran. Nazeer Masih Gill succumbed to his injuries after fighting for his life at a hospital for eight days.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.
