MIRPURKHAS/UMERKOT: On Thursday, Shah Nawaz Kunhbar, a doctor from Umerkot, was shot and killed by police in what is believed to be an extrajudicial killing in Mirpurkhas. The day before, he had been charged with blasphemy.
The physician was cited by Umerkot police on Wednesday for reportedly posting “blasphemous content” on Facebook in response to rallies organized by religious parties, in violation of Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The suspect reportedly ran away to Karachi but was apprehended by Umerkot police and taken to Mirpurkhas, where Sindhri police are said to have killed him during a “encounter.” However, the police denied taking the Karachi guy into custody.
However, Sindhri SHO Niaz Khoso verified the death of the suspect, claiming that the physician and his “accomplices” opened fire on the police. He said that although his supposed partner was able to flee, the suspect was shot dead in retaliation.
After robbing the man’s heirs of his body, a mob sets it on fire; the doctor’s family claims he suffered from mental health problems.
The CIA police in Mirpurkhas likewise gave the same account of what happened. According to police, the event happened while snap-checking in the vicinity of Sindhri’s Kanta stop.
In a video message posted to social media a day prior, Dr. Shah Nawaz claimed that his account had been hacked and that he could never have imagined releasing blasphemous content. The Umerkot District Headquarters Hospital MS reports that Dr. Shah Nawaz was a committed medical professional who vanished on September 12 and may have been the victim of a “psychotic episode.”
It should be mentioned that tensions in Umerkot had increased after demonstrations over the purported blasphemous act. On Wednesday, a sizable group of furious demonstrators gathered in front of the press club, calling for the doctor’s immediate arrest. They also set a police car on fire.
“Burned body”
Following the “encounter,” the body was given to the suspect’s relatives, who transported it to Janhero, the suspect’s hometown, for burial. But then a throng came down on them to take the body, so they had to flee.
After the family fled to Nabisar Thar, radicals followed them and forbade them from burying the dead suspect. But after hiding the body in a car and returning to Janhero, a mob managed to grab the body and burn it on fire. The man who was killed is survived by his widow, three sons, and a daughter.
Locals and his family claimed that Dr. Shah Nawaz had been receiving therapy for his mental illness for four years. He was treated by his nephew, Dr. Shahid, a psychiatrist in the UK, who also often prescribed medicine.
Family doctor Dr. Mataro Hingorjo, who practices in Ireland, informed Dawn that Dr. Shah Nawaz was a “deeply religious person.”
He said, “At least during his periods of mental clarity, he was an intelligent, dedicated nationalist with a strong spiritual side—academically, he was among the top ten in his class.”
The SSP Mirpurkhas and other police officials could not be reached for comment despite multiple attempts.
