riters, peace activists, political workers and civil society in Sindh are denouncing extremism. Last week, the streets of Karachi witnessed an unprecedented wave of protests against extremist violence. Hundreds of peace workers from various districts of the province converged at Karachi Press Club to demand justice for Dr Shahnawaz Kumbhar.

Rawadari March, a peace rally, was convened by rights activists Sindhu Nawaz, Alya Bakhshal, Romasa Chandio and others. The rally was organised to protest against custodial killing of the young doctor who was denied the right to a fair trial enshrined in the constitution after allegations of blasphemy were made against him.

Abominable killings, lynchings, arson and vandalisation of houses of worship and properties belonging to religious minorities have become more frequent in the recent years. Faith and Fury: The Rise of Blasphemy-Driven Violence in Pakistan, a report released by Centre for Research and Security Studies, says the genesis of the problem can be traced back to British Raj when three extrajudicial killings occurred under blasphemy charges. Between August 1947 and May 2024 there were 104 such killings. Additionally, more than 1,700 people faced allegations of blasphemy resulting in arrests, prolonged imprisonment without trial and mob attacks. The Punjab has been the worst hit with 77 people murdered following blasphemy accusations.

Sindh has been relatively free of violent extremism. Sporadic incidents of sectarian violence have mostly been confined to Karachi. It has been argued that a deep rooted pluralism and tolerance within Sindhi speaking communities has acted as a bulwark against hatred. Millions of Hindus have lived in harmony with Muslims in almost every district of Sindh. The Hindu middle class has been on the forefront in education, trade and philanthropy in Sindh. The mainstream political parties, nationalist groups, literati and civil society of Sindh have been remarkably inclusive. Political discourse has been overwhelmingly centred on political and constitutional rights, without any religious demarcation. Even when religious seminaries proliferated under official patronage during the Zia marshal law, extremism did not find a foothold in Sindh.

Over the last two or three decades, however, a network has developed in northern districts of Sindh under the wings of some religio-political groups and Left-leaning nationalist groups have been hounded. Political workers have been demonised as anti-state elements.

Overall, extremist violence has been rare in Sindh. Sporadic incidents of sectarian violence have been mostly confined to Karachi. A deep-rooted pluralism and tolerance within Sindhi speaking communities has acted as a bulwark against proliferation of extremism.

The fear of proscribed groups has been used to stifle political parties. Political activities at the educational institutions have been banned. These actions have facilitated the penetration of extremist groups.

The case of Dr Shahnawaz Khumbar became the proverbial last straw that triggered a strong pushback in Sindh. The doctor was killed on September 18, allegedly by Mirpurkhas police after they took him in custody from Karachi. Some groups in Mirpur Khas and Umerkot had earlier accused him of blasphemy. Slogans were chanted in the streets protests organisaed by these groups urging people to kill him. Dr Shahnawas left a series of notes on social media denying the charges.

After a case was registered against him under Section 295-C (FIR No. 42/24) at Umerkot police station, he took shelter in Karachi. Police arrested him and on the night of September 18-19 he was killed in a fake shootout in the Sindhri police station jurisdiction. Senior police officers then accorded a celebratory welcome by local clerics and the videos of the joyous scenes went viral on social media.

This caused a strong reaction on social media as human rights activists condemned the behaviour. Civil society and rights activists denounced the police failure and demanded immediate action from the government of Sindh. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan also condemned the incident. The home minister suspended the police officers involved and announced a thorough investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Sufi singer Manjhi Faqeer and human rights activist Sindhu Nawaz called for a civil society protest in Umerkot. Thousands of people reached Umerkot, paid respects at the grave of Dr Shahnawaz and spoke against extremism. The family of the deceased narrated how they were denied burial of the dead and how the body was torched by some fanatics.

Subsequently an inquiry by senior police officers concluded that some policemen had murdered the accused in a fake encounter. A case was then registered against the Mirpur Khas DIG and the SSP, the Umerkot SSP and some other cops besides a local cleric. However, not all the suspects have been arrested.

The civil society rally in Karachi was organised to demand justice for the victims. However, it was mishandled by the government the police once again beat up peaceful protesters.

The author is a writer and peace activist:nmemon2004 @yahoo.com