The Pakistan flag. For representational purposes.
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Karachi: One person was killed and several injured when police resorted to baton charges to stop activists of a religious party from clashing with civil and human rights protesters here in Sindh province of Pakistan on Sunday.
The protesters from Sindh Rawadari March (SRM) gathered in front of Karachi Press Club to demonstrate against the killing of blasphemy suspect Shahnawaz Kunbhar and “extremism in Sindh" while activists of the religious-political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) at the same time tried to storm through the KPC.
The police and paramilitary rangers stopped the TLP protesters and also clashed with SRM demonstrators, including civil rights activists, lawyers, trade union workers, and journalists.
TV and social media footage showed police resorting to baton charges on the demonstrators, including women, outside the KPC.
One person was killed and several were injured after water cannons and tear gas shells were used to contain the situation, a police official said.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said the protesters “belonging to both groups have been arrested”.
An organiser of the SRM said their supporters were stopped from proceeding ahead at several locations around the KPC.
The Pakistan Human Rights Commission (HRCP) expressed concern over the treatment of the SRM protesters and said their chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt was also arrested.
TLP spokesperson Rehan Mohammed Khan said one of their workers had been shot dead by police while several others were injured.
Khan accused Sindh Rangers of “directly” firing on the protestors.
“Why were we being prevented from moving towards the press club to demonstrate against those who favour blasphemous persons?” Khan said.
The Shahnawaz Kunbhar case has led to progressive voices in Sindh expressing concern over the growing intolerance and violence in the province.
Shahnawaz, who ran a clinic in Umerkot town, was killed in an encounter by police after he was accused of committing blasphemy by a mosque cleric and forced to flee to Karachi.
His brother-in-law alleged that he was killed under mysterious circumstances near Mirpurkhas on September 19 even as he agreed to surrender to the police upon his family's persuasion.
A police inquiry later found the blasphemy accused was killed in a staged encounter.
His body was later set on fire by workers affiliated with religious figures when his family tried to take it for burial, and the police accused of the staged encounter were heralded and garlanded by some religious figures and a politician.