The family of a doctor accused of blasphemy in Pakistan says police killed him in a fake encounter

Associated Press

MULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — The family of a doctor accused of blasphemy says he was killed by police while in custody in southern Pakistan after he voluntarily surrendered following assurances that he would be given a chance to prove his innocence, denying a police account that he was accidentally killed in a shootout. If true, it would be the second extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups. Shah Nawaz, a doctor in Sindh province, had gone into hiding last week after being accused of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad and sharing blasphemous content on Facebook. Nawaz said someone had hacked his account. His family said Monday he was arrested last week and killed hours later in a fake encounter with police.