KARACHI: A Pakistani court has declared a senior police officer and three others fugitives in the killing of a doctor accused of blasphemy, according to a court order shared with the victim’s lawyer this week, the latest development in a case seen as a rare instance of police facing prosecution over such allegations.
Dr. Shahnawaz Kunbhar, accused of posting blasphemous content online, was arrested in Karachi in September 2024 and killed days later in Mirpurkhas. Police initially said the killing was unintentional, claiming he was shot during an exchange of fire when officers tried to stop two men on a motorcycle. Authorities later admitted they only realized afterwards that the dead man was Kunbhar, who had been facing a blasphemy case. The incident sparked mass protests in the southern Sindh province and widespread outrage on social media.
A provincial government inquiry later concluded that Kunbhar had in fact been killed in a staged encounter. Ten officers, including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Javed Soonharo Jiskan, were suspended, and 34 suspects were charged — a rare move in Pakistan where people accused of blasphemy are often targeted by mobs and police seldom face accountability.
