Both print and social media these days are painting a grim picture of the rising incidents of lynching and vigilante justice across different parts of our country. This deadly wave has penetrated deep into our society, with cases on the rise, particularly in Punjab and the metropolitan city of Karachi. This alarming trend is being fueled by the impunity granted to emboldened instigators and perpetrators.
Even worse, custodial killings by those entrusted to protect and serve are becoming common, exposing the highhandedness of the police and highlighting flaws in our judicial system.
One such horrific incident is the brutal killing of Umerkot-based Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar, on the alleged charges of blasphemy. He was killed in a staged police encounter while in safe custody. Dr Kumbhar had denied the charges and even posted a message, claiming that his Facebook account had been hacked. Despite this, his life was tragically cut short, his body was taken by a mob, and it was desecrated.
This calls for an impartial, high-level judicial inquiry led by a judge from the apex court to ascertain the real facts and hold accountable all influential characters involved in instigating and perpetrating this colossal and heinous crime of extra judicial killing
Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, on September 26th, shared the findings of a police inquiry with the media. The report confirmed that Mirpurkhas police had killed........