Sindh govt requests judicial inquiry into Dr Shahnawaz's killing

The Sindh government on Wednesday sought a judicial inquiry from the Sindh High Court into the controversial killing of Dr Shah Nawaz Kunbhar, who was accused of blasphemy.

Dr Kunbhar, a resident of Umerkot district, was arrested last month over allegations of sharing blasphemous content online. Hours after his arrest, he was killed in what police claimed was a shootout.

According to media reports, the doctor had fled to Karachi but was later arrested by Umerkot police and transported to Mirpurkhas. It was here that he was allegedly killed in a suspected shootout with the Sindhri police, though law enforcement has denied arresting him from Karachi.

However, the family of Dr Kunbhar has rejected the police's version of events, alleging that he was murdered in custody. A subsequent inquiry committee, formed by Sindh’s Inspector General of Police, later confirmed that the encounter was “fake” one.

The incident has triggered outrage across the country, with rights activists strongly condemning the extrajudicial killing and demanding an impartial and transparent investigation.

“It has now become imperative that Judicial Inquiry may be conducted into the subject matter incident in order to ascertain the real facts and fix responsibility on the delinquent police officers/officials and individuals in the interest of justice,” a copy of a letter sent by Sindh’s Home Department to the Sindh High Court’s registrar said.

“Foregoing in view, it is requested that Judicial Inquiry may be ordered to be conducted in the subject matter by a serving Judge of High Court under intimation to this department,” it added.

The incident

The blasphemy charge against Kunbhar followed protests by local religious groups demanding action. Under Pakistani law, those convicted of blasphemy face the death penalty.

Following the incident, protests erupted across several cities in Sindh over the past weekend. Dr Kunbhar had previously released a video on social media stating that his Facebook account had been hacked. “I could never imagine sharing blasphemous content,” Dr Kunbhar said in the video, denying the allegations.

Amnesty International also weighed in, calling for a "thorough, impartial, and independent" investigation into Dr Kunhbar's death as well as the killing of Abdul Ali, another blasphemy suspect, by a police constable in Quetta.

In a statement from Amnesty's South Asia office, the organization urged Pakistani authorities to ensure those responsible for these killings are prosecuted in transparent trials without resorting to the death penalty.