Hyderabad [Pakistan]: Pakistani activists have raised concerns that the government wants to spoil the case and save the culprits who killed Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar, according to Dawn.
They have expressed their fears because the Pakistani police has still not arrested the killers and facilitators of the crime.
Dr Shahnawaz Kunbhar was alleged to have shared blasphemous posts on social media, because of which was shot dead during a gun battle with the police in Sindh district’s Mirpurkhas city on September 19.After the ‘encounter’, the body was handed over to the family, who brought it to his native village in Janhero for burial. However, a mob descended on them and set the body on fire.
The consultation was held at the local press club by the name, ‘Justice For Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar Committee’ and was chaired by Ismail Wassan, a former student leader.
They said that all forms of extremism would be resisted in Sindh which was the land of peace for centuries. Ismail Wassan said Sindh’s civil society had been struggling against that murder from day one. He expressed the resolve that fanatics and extremists would not be allowed to occupy Sindh.
Dawn noted that the forum was created to pursue the case to ensure punishment for the killers of Dr Shahnawaz, including police officers, extremists, fanatics and their facilitators.
According to Dawn, Jeay Sindh Mahaz (Riaz) chairperson Riaz Ali Chandio said that Sindh would not give up its secular and mystic ethos. He said people wanted to know why those, who had killed Shahnawaz and burnt his body, were still free.
He said that on one hand certain forces were promoting extremism while on the other, they were planning to render Sindh barren by building new canals over Indus river. He vowed to resist canals’ projects.
JSQM-Bashir leader Dr Niaz Kalani said the Pakistan People’s Party government was partner in crime with extremist forces ever since the murder of Shahnawaz. He said that those who had launched the movement against the killing were intimidated and arrested instead. He said they were booked under false charges.
Prof Mushtaq Mirani said Sindh didn’t have any place for extremism and fanaticism. He said the Sindh government was directly responsible for the murder of Shahnawaz because had government taken timely notice, he would not have killed. The Sindh government did not stop extremists after the murder and Shahnawaz’s body was burnt, he added.
Resolutions were also adopted at the consultation, demanding formation of a judicial commission, comprising three serving judges of the high court, to probe the incident. It should submit report in a month and recommend punishment for the extrajudicial murder, the meeting said.
The Committee demanded arrests of those nominated in Dr Shahnawaz’s FIR and urged PPP chairman Bilawal to unseat party’s MNA Ameer Ali Shah who garlanded the accused policemen after the murder.
It also demanded the suspension of the provincial home minister and Sindh IGP for registration of FIR against Sindhu Nawaz Ghangro, Saif Samejo and others on Oct 13 for holding a rally in Karachi. A resolution said the FIR registered against them should be withdrawn.