Pakistan police shoot dead blasphemy suspect in Sindh in second such killing in a week

Pakistan police haveshot a doctor accused of blasphemy during an alleged shootout with armed men, in Sindh province, officials said on Thursday (Sep 19).

It marks the second such apparent extra-judicial killing in a week, further drawing criticism from human rights groups.

The man who was shot dead was later identified asDr Shahnawaz Kanbhar and was a doctor in the Umerkot district of Sindh district. He was killed "just by chance" in a shootout with officers who did not know it was him, the local police chief in Sindh province said.

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Kanbhar had gone into hiding two days after being accused of insulting Islam's prophet Mohammed and sharing blasphemous content on social media.

According to the police report, officers in the city of Mirpur Khas tried to stop two men riding on a motorcycle on Wednesday, in order to search their vehicle.

The local police chief Niaz Khoso said that instead of stopping, the men opened fire and tried to flee, which prompted police to return fire. One of the suspects was said to have fled on the motorcycle, however, the other was killed.

Khoso said that the police got to know that the slain man was the doctor accused of the alleged blasphemy, only after the shootout.

However, the Sindh government did not immediately clarify the circumstances.

Human Rights Groups condemn fatal shooting

The killing of the doctor drew strong condemnation from Pakistan's independent human rights groups, including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCH).

The commission said that they were "gravely concerned by the alleged extrajudicial killing of two people accused of blasphemy.”

Watch |Pakistan police officer fatally shoots blasphemy accused in custody

“This pattern of violence in cases of blasphemy, in which law enforcement personnel are allegedly involved, is an alarming trend,” it said in a statement.

The HRCP asked the government to conduct an independent inquiry to ascertain who was responsible for Kanbhar's death and ensure those responsible for it were punished.

The death of the doctor comes a week after an officer opened fire inside a police station in the southwestern city of Quetta, fatally wounding Syed Khan, who was also accused of blasphemy.

Khan was arrested on Wednesday after officers rescued him from an enraged mob that claimed he had insulted Islam's prophet.

(With inputs from agencies)