On Thursday, the Pakistani government made a significant announcement regarding the death of a doctor, Shah Nawaz, who was in police custody following blasphemy accusations. The government revealed that police were responsible for orchestrating Nawaz’s killing and subsequently providing false information about his death, suggesting he died in a confrontation with armed individuals, according to a provincial minister. This declaration represents the first instance where the government has accused security forces of conducting what the doctor’s family and human rights organizations classify as an extrajudicial killing carried out by law enforcement.
Dr. Shah Nawaz, hailing from the southern Sindh province, surrendered himself to the police in Mirpur Khas district, following promises that he would have the opportunity to demonstrate his innocence. Prior to his surrender, a group in Umerkot alleged that Nawaz had offended Prophet Muhammad of Islam and shared blasphemous content on social media, demanding his arrest and subsequently setting fire to Nawaz’s clinic.
Provincial Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan disclosed that a government investigation determined Nawaz’s death occurred shortly after he turned himself in, constituting a staged “fake encounter” arranged by security forces. Hassan emphasized that there was no exchange of fire with armed individuals, refuting the police’s initial claims, and stated that Nawaz’s family would be permitted to file murder charges against the officers involved in his killing.
Following Nawaz’s fatal shooting and the return of his body to his family, a mob seized his remains from Nawaz’s father and set them ablaze. Hassan’s statement corroborated the allegations made by Nawaz’s family earlier in the week. Accusations of blasphemy, whether substantiated or based on rumors, tend to incite riots and mob violence in Pakistan. While mob killings of blasphemy suspects are common, extrajudicial killings by the police are infrequent.
In Pakistan, individuals found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic figures under the country’s contentious blasphemy laws may face the death penalty, although executions for blasphemy have not been carried out by authorities. Nawaz’s father expressed gratitude for the government’s support for the family and demanded that his son’s perpetrators be brought to justice in accordance with Sharia law’s principle of retribution. He called for the officers who staged his son’s killing to face similar consequences.
Nawaz’s father conveyed appreciation for the assistance received by the family and commended those who condemned extremist clerics who agitated the mob by calling for his son’s death. Emphasizing the need for swift punishment for those responsible for his son’s death, Nawaz’s mother asserted that while her son cannot be returned to her, she hopes to protect other children from falling victim to extremists in the future.
The killing of Nawaz marks the second instance of a police-perpetrated extrajudicial killing in Pakistan this month. A week earlier, an officer fatally shot Syed Khan, a blasphemy suspect, inside a police station in Quetta. Khan had been rescued by officers from a hostile crowd accusing him of blasphemy. The officer responsible for Khan’s death was promptly arrested, but the tribe and family of the deceased later chose to pardon him.