Pakistan, summary convictions and extrajudicial killings: there is still a blasphemy emergency

SINDH – Pakistan (AsiaNews) – Three new cases of abuse and extrajudicial killings related to blasphemy laws, which recently occurred in Pakistan, bring the abuses and violence related to a controversial law that has already been the subject of controversy and condemnation back to the attention of the country and the international community. And this is also thanks to the monitoring work and some human rights organizations of Pakistani civil society. The first concerns a doctor, Shahnawaz Kumbhar, originally from Umerkot (in Sindh), accused of having shared blasphemous posts on social media that, according to some, would have been published from a fake Facebook account of the man. Nonetheless, the doctor was killed during a firefight with the police in Mirpurkhas.

Harsh and exemplary measures. Before the arrest attempt, some religious parties in Sindh – one of the four provinces of Pakistan, the second most populous with 47.9 million inhabitants and home to the Sindhi people who emigrated from India in 1947 – had promoted a violent protest and called for harsh and exemplary measures against Shahnawaz, asking for his immediate arrest. After the police chief of Umerkot assured that a criminal investigation would be launched, the promoters of the demonstration decided to stop it.

A fake police operation. Following the death of doctor Shahnawaz, which occurred under unclear circumstances and – it seems – linked to a fake police operation, religious leaders paid homage to Captain Asad Chaudhary, with slogans and chants as they did in the past with Mumtaz Qadri, after the killing of Salman Taseer.

Condemned even by his own family. Meanwhile, relatives of Abdul Ali, a blasphemy suspect who was killed by a police officer in Kharotabad, Quetta last week, have forgiven the policeman. Despite their blood ties, the family has strongly condemned the suspect, who was killed over an alleged blasphemy case: “We never hesitate,” they said, “to give our lives in honor of the Holy Prophet.” The relatives of the victim, who was killed without trial or verification of the charges, confirmed that they have forgiven police officer Syed Khan Sarhadi “in the name of Allah and unconditionally” and “we will not fight the case against him in court.”

The first case of killing for blasphemy. Commenting on the news events, Halar Nawaz, editor and political analyst of Indo, said: “Now the fire of false blasphemy cases has spread to all provinces of Pakistan. This is the first case of killing in the name of blasphemy in Sindh province. [in riferimento all’uccisione del medico]and it is condemnable and execrable”. Not allowing the accused to appear in court before the judges, he warns, and “staging a firefight with the police and then handing the body over to the crowd to set on fire is a clear violation of the legal process, unconstitutional and unacceptable”.

Facebook account hack. The extrajudicial killing of Shahnawaz Kunbhar in Mirpurkhas, despite a case being lodged against him under Section 295-C (which punishes vilification of Prophet Muhammad), raises serious concerns. The victim had earlier alleged that his Facebook account had been hacked, highlighting the growing problem of digital fraud and false allegations through social media.

A woman was also sentenced to death for blasphemy. Meanwhile, a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) court in Rawalpindi has sentenced a Christian woman, Shagufta Kiran, to death after finding her guilty of blasphemy. The verdict follows her arrest on July 29, 2021, for participating in a discussion on religious issues in a WhatsApp group called “Pure Discussion.” The complainant, Sheraz Ahmed Farooqi, claimed that his remarks posted on the group were “disrespectful” to the Prophet Muhammad. The verdict has left his family, especially his four children, shocked that the judges’ decision was unjustified.

Completely unfounded accusations. Rana Abdul Hameed, Shagufta’s lawyer linked to the human rights organization Voice for Justicesays the charges are baseless and motivated only by personal grudges, as is often the case in which the law is used to settle personal issues or disputes. Jubilee Campaign, a Netherlands-based activist organization, has provided legal assistance to the woman and is preparing to appeal to the High Court. The activists also urge the international community to speak out against the continued abuse of blasphemy laws in Pakistan, to support the protection of religious minorities and the safeguarding of fundamental human rights.

* Shafique Khokhar – Asianews