Sit-in called for justice in blasphemy suspect's extrajudicial killing in Umerkot

Umerkot [Pakistan], September 24 : Outrage is mounting in Pakistan's Sindh province as the Sindh Youth Action Committee announced a sit-in in Umerkot on Wednesday, demanding justice for Shah Nawaz Kunbhar, a blasphemy suspect killed by police in an alleged encounter, Dawn reported.
The committee, along with the bereaved family, is calling for action against police officers accused of being directly involved in his custodial death and the subsequent torching of his body by extremists.
During a press conference in Pakistan's Hyderabad, committee members Sindhu Nawaz Ghangro, Hamz Ali Chandio, Shahid Mirani, and others claimed that senior police officials--DIG Mirpurkhas and SSPs of Mirpurkhas and Umerkot--were responsible for Kunbhar's killing.
The group demanded an impartial investigation and the immediate arrest of these officers. The committee also highlighted the growing influence of extremist elements in Sindh, which they said threatened the region's historically peaceful nature, as per Dawn.
Civil society members have expressed their support for the sit-in, noting the government's failure to address the custodial killing. The family of Kunbhar has shared video evidence suggesting police coercion, alleging that authorities were forcing them to make false statements. Despite repeated appeals, an FIR against the responsible officers has yet to be registered, reports Dawn.
The case of Kunbhar highlights the deep-seated issues of religious extremism and police impunity in Pakistan. The youth committee criticised the increasing involvement of religious extremists in police operations, stating that if the blasphemy charge against Kunbhar were valid, he should have been tried in a court of law rather than being handed over to a mob.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has also demanded protection for the bereaved family and called for a judicial inquiry led by the Sindh High Court. The case has drawn significant attention, once again exposing the dangerous cocktail of religious extremism and state oppression that continues to plague Pakistan's justice system.