Mirpurkhas
Accusation, Execution, Celebration!
In a society increasingly influenced by mob mentality, state representatives are more interested in appeasing public sentiment than upholding the rule of law.
In Mirpurkhas on September 19, a blasphemy suspect, who was a doctor from Umerkot, was shot dead in what authorities claimed was a police encounter. The doctor had been accused of blasphemy after some offensive posts surfaced on a Facebook account under his name. Outraged mobs protested, and an FIR was lodged against him. In a video statement, the doctor denied any involvement and asserted that his account had been hacked. He repeatedly called for an impartial police investigation. Despite his willingness to cooperate, many believed he was executed in a staged encounter as he had been arrested in Karachi and later killed in Mirpurkhas.
This incident is not isolated but part of a larger, disturbing pattern. It echoes a recent case in Quetta, where a policeman shot dead another blasphemy suspect while he was already in custody. Instead of raising the alarm, the public celebrated the officer as a hero. Local people flocked to his home, congratulating his parents for raising such a ‘brave’ and ‘pious’ son. These two cases, among many others, reveal a troubling trend in Pakistan: the increasing approval of extrajudicial killings by both law enforcement and the public, especially when blasphemy charges are involved.
Both killings were extrajudicial, bypassing the judicial process, and should have sparked outrage. Yet, in Sindh and Balochistan, the initial public response was shockingly opposite. In the case of the young doctor, the DIG and the SSP involved were not condemned but lauded. They were even adorned with garlands by a local representative, having become celebrated figures for killing someone seen as the proverbial Dajjal. This celebration of law enforcement officers acting as judge, jury, and executioner speaks to a broader societal issue—one where accusations of blasphemy, often based on unverified claims, lead to instant death.
While blasphemy charges are undeniably sensitive, they do not justify bypassing due process. The Constitution does not grant law enforcement the authority to determine guilt and mete out punishment. If the authorities believed the doctor was guilty, they should have presented evidence in court. These extrajudicial actions raise fundamental questions about the role of law enforcement. Are they fulfilling their constitutional duty to uphold the law, or are they succumbing to extremist pressures and mob rule? Instead of respecting legal protocols, the police seem more concerned with placating angry mobs, abandoning the principles of justice and due process.
These incidents also call into question the integrity of the social contract—the foundational agreement that modern states are built upon. The state is entrusted with the protection of its citizens’ lives and liberties, but the reality in Pakistan often shows the opposite. The police, who are constitutionally tasked with maintaining law and order, seem to have taken on the role of vigilantes, stripping citizens of their right to a fair trial. The state’s failure to safeguard its citizens in cases like these undermines its legitimacy and the trust people place in the justice system.
In a society increasingly influenced by mob mentality, these incidents suggest that those in power—particularly the representatives of the state—are more interested in appeasing public sentiment than upholding the rule of law. The celebration of these killings reflects a dangerous shift, where accusations of blasphemy, often rooted in rumors or unverified claims, lead directly to death. This is a clear deviation from the principles of justice and a grave injustice to those falsely accused.
Equally concerning is law enforcement’s ignorance of modern technology. Social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp are notoriously vulnerable to hacking and misuse. In an age of widespread misinformation and disinformation, it is deeply troubling that someone could be executed based on posts from an account that may not even be theirs. How can a mere Facebook post, without verification, become a matter of life and death? This points to the urgent need for law enforcement to better understand technology and its potential for abuse.
Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar
The mob violence fueled by blasphemy accusations is not a new phenomenon in Pakistan. Many have fallen prey to baseless charges and suffered horrifying deaths. Mashal Khan, a student, was lynched to death in Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, in 2017. In another incident, a Sri Lankan national was killed and then set ablaze by an enraged mob in Sialkot. These cases expose the fragility of life under a system where an accusation, no matter how baseless, can lead to murder.
However, the Umerkot incident offers a sliver of hope. Following the doctor’s death, civil society activists in Sindh took to the streets, holding protest demonstrations and demanding an impartial investigation. The IGP Sindh responded positively, forming a high-level committee to probe the killing. As these lines are written, the committee has released its report, confirming that the encounter was staged, recommending an FIR be lodged against those involved in the killing and desecration of the doctor’s body.
Despite the committee’s findings, local clerics have rallied in support of those who took the law into their own hands. Some political parties, using religious rhetoric to galvanize support, have held public rallies in Umerkot. A local pir has reportedly even offered to purchase the weapons used in the doctor’s killing. In contrast, Sindhi intellectuals and social activists advocating for peaceful coexistence and tolerance have set up a bookstall in Umerkot, distributing free literature in memory of the slain doctor.
While this small movement by civil society offers a glimmer of optimism, the overall situation remains dire. The recurrence of extrajudicial killings in the name of blasphemy reveals a deepening crisis, one in which fear and fanaticism continue to overshadow justice. The question now is whether these intellectuals and activists can shield Sindh from the rising tide of extremism or whether the province will succumb to the same forces that have eroded justice across Pakistan.
The writer is a freelance writer based in Larkana. He can be reached at sjatoi831@gmail.com
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