Policeman shoots and kills blasphemy suspect in custody in Quetta

A police officer shot and killed a man accused of blasphemy inside a police station in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan, on 12 September.

Police officer Syed Mohammed Khan Sarhadi fatally shot Abdul Ali aka Lala inside Quetta Cantt. police station, one day after Mr Ali had been arrested following accusations from local residents that he had made derogatory remarks towards the Prophet Muhammed.

Upon Mr Ali’s arrest on 11 September, a mob of residents surrounded the police station, demanding that they hand him back to them so they could kill him. At one point, a man hurled a grenade at the police station, while a group of Islamists briefly blocked a key road in the city, demanding punishment for Mr Ali. Local authorities claim that they have arrested the police officer involved in the shooting.

The killing of a blasphemy suspect while in custody is unusual but highlights ongoing tensions related to religious offenses, and adds to a troubling pattern of violence against blasphemy suspects in Pakistan.

On 3 June Pakistani Christian Lazar (Nazir) Masih passed away in the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Rawalpindi in Punjab Province in Pakistan on 3 June, just over a week after he was violently attacked by an extremist mob following an accusation of blasphemy. On 20 June another man was violently lynched in Madyan in Khyber Pakhtunkwa Province after he was accused of desecrating the Qur’an.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Abdul Ali. Regardless of the accusations against him, it was the duty of the police to protect him, and thus it is extremely worrying that he was shot and killed while in custody. Who will ensure the safety of such victims when the police itself is involved in such acts of violence? The continued criminalisation of blasphemy is wholly incompatible with Pakistan’s national and international commitments to freedom of religion or belief, and a dangerous driver of religious extremism in the country.’

‘This attack has occurred at a time when the EU Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief is on a mission to Pakistan. This incident further demonstrates the timeliness of this visit, and we call upon the EU to raise these concerns with the authorities and ensure that sufficient protections are provided to any person accused of blasphemy. The EU Delegation was also right to say that engagement on FoRB challenges is “important for Pakistan’s future re-application to GSP+” (the EU’s generous tariff concession for exports from Pakistan). The government must take strict measures to hold those responsible for such acts to account and to curb the misuse of the blasphemy laws, with the aim to repeal these laws as a matter of urgency.’