GWADAR: A teacher affiliated with a language centre was shot dead by unknown armed men on an allegation of blasphemy in Turbat town of Kech district.

Police said Abdul Rauf, 22, an English teacher, was targeted near a graveyard in the Malikabad area on Saturday when he, accompanied by some people, was going to attend a jirga of ulema to explain his position on the matter.

Sources said students of the language centre had lodged complaints with local clerics, accusing Mr Rauf of committing blasphemy during a lecture. The matter also gained traction on social media.

Sudhir Ahmed, the principal, said a group of ulema visited the language centre on Friday and listened to the students and Mr Rauf on the issue. Mr Rauf denied the allegation and insisted he did not commit blasphemy. He tendered an apology for any objectionable words on the issue.

The clerics said they would resolve the issue and asked Mr Rauf to come to the jirga, to be held in a madressah, to explain his position.

“I invited Abdul Rauf to the jirga where over 100 ulema from Turbat were present to resolve the issue amicably, but he was killed by unknown masked men before reaching the madressah,” Mufti Shah Mir said.

He said police were informed about the issue after the murder.

The teacher’s family has not lodged any case with the police. They received the body and took it to their native town, Bal Nagor area, for burial.

No one from the family is available to provide further information. However, police have registered a case against unknown individuals.

“A special police team has been constituted for a thorough investigation into the incident, considering all aspects,” District Police Officer Mohammad Baloch told Dawn on Sunday. He urged people to refrain from spreading hate statements or news on social media. The principal said Mr Rauf was studying at Turbat University and teaching English at the centre in part time.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...
Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....