In a recent development in the high-profile case of Dr. Shahnawaz Kumbhar’s extrajudicial killing, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi summoned the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to explain the filing of a new First Information Report (FIR). The court questioned why a new FIR was registered by the FIA when a prior FIR already exists at the Sindhri police station. The agency requested additional time to respond.
Dr. Kumbhar, a senior medical officer, was accused of blasphemy and arrested in Karachi by Umerkot police on September 18, 2024. He was allegedly killed the next day in a staged police encounter in Mirpur Khas. Following intense public backlash, an inquiry committee formed by Sindh Police Chief Ghulam Nabi Memon found severe misconduct by police officials from both Umerkot and Mirpur Khas, confirming that the encounter was fabricated to cover up an extrajudicial killing.
The Sindh High Court (SHC) had ordered the FIA to file the new FIR to ensure a federal investigation. During Thursday’s ATC hearing, DSP Aslam Jageerani submitted the police investigation report, while the FIA’s investigation officer presented findings from the agency’s inquiry. Among those implicated in the case are former DIG Mirpur Khas Javed Soonharo Jiskani, former SSPs Asad Chaudhry and Asif Raza Baloch, ex-CIA in-charge Enayat Zardari, former SHO Niaz Khoso, and Pir Umar Jan Sarhandi, among other officials.
The court adjourned further hearings until November 16, 2024, and the SHC ordered the accused to be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) to prevent their escape from Pakistan.
