Umerkot [Pakistan], September 26 : The general public and human rights activists in Pakistan remain agitated over the increasing number of blasphemy cases and extrajudicial killings in the Sindh province.
Thousands of protesters, including human rights activists, gathered outside the Umerkot Press Club on Wednesday to express their outrage over the recent death of Dr Shah Nawaz Kunbhar in what is alleged to be a planned police encounter, Dawn reported.
The protesters chanted slogans such as "Soil of Sindh needs peace" and "The land of peace needs peace." Ms Hareem Kunbhar claimed during the protest that "It had not been verified that his father had committed the blasphemy because the social media account which was referred to as his, ID was not in his name and it was in the name of some Shah Nawaz Shah".
Punhal Sario a human rights defender and the convenor of Voice for Missing Persons of Sindh condemned a statement of Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari saying "You have been claiming to be chairman of a democratic and secular party, but your Tharparkar MNA Ameer Ali Shah Jeelani has been seen garlanding the police officials who killed Dr Shahnawaz, a grade 18th officer, extrajudicially."
The protestors demanded an investigation must be conducted for the incident and the local spiritual leader Umer Jan Sarhandi and his followers must be banned for their alleged involvement in the incident. Additionally, calls were also made for the arrest of DIG Javed Sonharo Jiskani for the killing of Dr Kunhbar. Additionally, arrest demands were also raised for Umerkot SSP, along with his police team, who had handed over the doctor to Sindhri police for killing the Dawn report claimed.
The agitated public demanded that it should be investigated who incited the mob through social media to kill Dr Khunbar. The Dwan report also claimed that the victim's cousin advocate Junaid Kunbhar, Allah Bux Kunbhar, nationalist poet Haji Sand, Manzoor Solangi, Sikiladho Rahimoo, Mazhar Talpur, writer Mir Hassan Arisar and Sindhu Nawaz Ghanghro also announced to hold a powerful protest demonstration in Karachi on Oct 6 and appealed to people to attend it as an expression of their rejection of extremism.