Church leaders and rights activists in Pakistan have condemned the killing of a Muslim in custody on charges of blasphemy.
The alleged assassination of Abdul Ali by a constable identified in news reports as Saad (or Syed) Khan Sarhadi at the Cantonment police station in Quetta, capital of Balochistan Province, shocked citizens across the country, including Christians still reeling from the May 25 lynching of 75-year-old Nazeer Masih Gill on a false blasphemy accusation.
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Ali was arrested on Wednesday (Sept. 11) after he allegedly posted a video on social media deemed disrespectful to Islam’s prophet, Muhammad. A raging mob led by members of Muslim extremist religio-political parties Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) stormed the Kharotabad police station shortly after the case was filed under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law, demanding that police hand him over.
The protesters also lobbed a grenade into the police station, but no one was injured, according to media reports.
Sensing Ali’s life was in danger, police had reportedly moved him to the heavily fortified Cantonment police station, where Sarhadi allegedly shot and killed him with his personal pistol, according to news reports. Police reportedly said they had arrested a policeman and charged him with murder but did not name him.
Sarhadi was reportedly arrested on the spot, but TLP and JUI-F activists exalted the crime, calling him a “Ghazi” (victorious warrior). Media reports indicated local residents began visiting Sarhadi’s home, offering their support and presenting flowers to his parents.
Pakistan ranked seventh on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the most difficult places to be a Christian, as it was the previous year.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
