Blasphemy charge ends in death after Pakistani policeman shoots suspect

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A police officer in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province shot dead a man held on blasphemy charges on Thursday. The incident occurred at a secure police station in Quetta, the provincial capital, a day after the suspect was arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad.

The suspect, identified as Abdul Ali, was taken into custody in Quetta’s Kharotabad area. His arrest quickly attracted the attention of local residents, leading to a tumultuous situation outside the police detention center. Witnesses reported that a crowd of dozens surrounded the facility, demanding that Ali be handed over to them. The crowd’s hostility escalated to the point where they reportedly threw a grenade at the building, although the explosion caused no casualties.

In response to the mob threat, the police shifted Ali to a safer location in the central garrison area of Quetta. However, it was here that a police officer on duty shot him dead in the cell. Senior local police officer Muhammad Baloch confirmed the incident and stated that the officer responsible had been arrested and a murder case had been registered against him. The name of the police officer involved in the shooting has not been released.

After the murder, tensions rose further when activists from a religious party intervened in the burial process. They prevented Ali’s family from burying him in his hometown of Pishin, about 50 kilometers from Quetta. Those who wanted to perform the burial were forced to flee the cemetery with the body because of the threat posed by the activists.

The incident has sparked mixed reactions in Pakistan. In Islamabad, Abdul Shakoor Khan, a senator from the Islamist Party, voiced support for the police officer who carried out the shooting. In a speech in the upper house of parliament, Khan said he planned to provide legal representation to the accused officer, asserting: “We will not tolerate anyone making blasphemous remarks against the Holy Prophet.”

Blasphemy remains a highly sensitive and contentious issue in Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country. Accusations of blasphemy alone have historically led to mob violence, with many suspects even being lynched in police custody.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws prescribe the death penalty for insulting the Quran or Islamic beliefs. However, no official executions have ever taken place under these laws. However, Thursday’s killing by a police officer marks a significant and unprecedented escalation, and is the first incident of its kind.

The incident follows a recent spate of violence related to blasphemy allegations in Pakistan. In early June, a 74-year-old Christian man from Sargodha district in Punjab province died in hospital after being violently attacked by a mob following accusations of blasphemy. Later that month, a Muslim man was lynched by a mob in the scenic Swat Valley for allegedly desecrating the Quran.

Domestic and international human rights groups have long called for reforms to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, which they say are often exploited to settle personal disputes or target minority communities. Fear of retaliation by religious groups has deterred judges from trying suspects, leaving hundreds languishing in prisons across the country.