THE extrajudicial killing of a doctor in Mirpurkhas has raised critical questions about the criminal justice system in Pakistan. A little earlier, a blasphemy suspect was killed in jail by a policeman in Quetta. These are grave instances, and call for immediate attention of the relevant authorities.

As such, the spike in such cases in Sindh is especially alarming as several police officers have become notorious for extrajudicial killings and take pride in such illegalities.

Custodial death is a violation of Article 4 of the country’s Constitution, which guarantees every citizen a fair trial. It also contradicts Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Article 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which prohibit custodial torture and death.

The doctor had been arrested in Karachi after a blasphemy case was filed against him in Umerkot. He was later killed by the Mirpurkhas police near Sindhri town. The very next day, high-ranking police officials in Mirpurkhas received bouquets of flowers from a bunch of local clerics and a sitting parliamentarian.

Later, an investigation report by the Sindh government confirmed that the said officials were, indeed, responsible for the killing.

Also, the police did not ensure security for the doctor’s burial. A mob gathered in Umerkot and set the corpse to fire. With all this happening, the grieving father was illegally detained for two days by the area police. The whole episode is as regrettable as it is alarming.

One wonders who will hold the police accountable for such actions. It is essential to demand accountability in this case to safeguard the basic rights of the people.

Wajahat Ahmed
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2024