The family of a doctor accused of blasphemy in Pakistan says police killed him in a fake encounter

Earlier DU thread: Police in southern Pakistan shoot dead blasphemy suspect

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Source: Associated Press

The family of a doctor accused of blasphemy in Pakistan says police killed him in a fake encounter

By ASIM TANVEER and MUNIR AHMED
Updated 7:36 AM EDT, September 23, 2024

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — The family of a doctor accused of blasphemy said Monday he was killed by police while in custody in southern Pakistan after he voluntarily surrendered following assurances that he would be given a chance to prove his innocence, denying a police account that he was accidentally killed in a shootout.

If true, it would be the second extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups.

Shah Nawaz, a doctor in Umerkot district of Sindh province, had gone into hiding last week after being accused of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and sharing blasphemous content on Facebook. Nawaz said someone had hacked his account and that he had not posted anything against Islam.

His family said he was arrested last Wednesday and killed hours later in a fake encounter with police. A mob also burned Nawaz’s clinic on Wednesday, officials said.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/pakistan-blasphemy-suspect-killed-police-260b6cc77437d64d4093bd4aea37c649