In Karachi, Pakistan, authorities took action by suspending police officers responsible for fatally shooting a blasphemy suspect named Shah Nawaz in Sindh province, who had been accused of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and sharing blasphemous content on social media. This incident marked the second extrajudicial killing by police in a week, sparking criticism from human rights organizations.

The local police chief, Niaz Khoso, explained that Nawaz was unintentionally killed when officers in Mirpur Khas attempted to stop two men on a motorcycle. Instead of complying, the men opened fire and attempted to flee, leading the police to retaliate. One suspect managed to escape on the motorcycle, while Nawaz, who had been in hiding, was killed during the altercation.

Following the shooting, videos circulated on social media showing residents showering the involved police officers with rose petals and flowers, praising them for the act. However, Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan took swift action by suspending the officers, including Deputy Inspector General Javaid Jiskani, who appeared in the viral videos.

It was reported that Nawaz’s family faced further distress when a mob attacked them, seized his body, and set it on fire. The tragic event unfolded amidst mounting tensions, with Islamists in Umerkot staging protests advocating for Nawaz’s arrest and even burning down his clinic.

Despite claims from the Doctors Wake Up Movement, a rights group advocating for medical professionals and students in Pakistan, highlighting Nawaz’s contributions as a doctor in saving lives, he was denied the opportunity to defend himself in court before his untimely death and subsequent desecration of his body by the mob.

The incident spurred the provincial police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon to launch an investigation into the matter. While mob killings of blasphemy suspects are regrettably common in Pakistan, extrajudicial killings by the police remain relatively rare, as accusations of blasphemy, even if unfounded, often incite violent reactions within the deeply conservative society.

Prior to Nawaz’s killing, another incident occurred in Quetta, where an officer fatally shot Syed Khan, a blasphemy suspect held in custody, reigniting concerns over the abuse of Pakistan’s contentious blasphemy laws, which can carry severe penalties, including death, for those found guilty of insulting Islam or its religious figures.