QUETTA, Pakistan, Sept 19 (Askume) – The family of a blasphemy suspect who died in custody in southwestern Pakistan has forgiven the police officers accused of his killing and said they would not press charges “in the name of God”.
Police said 52-year-old Abdul Ali, also known as Sakhi Lala, was shot dead by police officer Saeed Saeed at a high-security police station in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, last week. Sahadi entered the police station and claimed to be a relative of Ali.
“We are not going to sue,” Ali’s son, Muhammad Usman, said at a news conference Wednesday night. “We forgive the policeman in the name of God,” he added, sitting with his other brother and some family elders.
An elder named Faizullah Noorzai said the tribe would reject Ali. “We and our families are willing to sacrifice our lives for the sake of the Prophet Muhammad and his honor.”
Blasphemy is punishable by death in Muslim-majority Pakistan. The state has yet to carry out a death sentence for the crime, but dozens of defendants have been lynched by mobs before trial.
Such killings are often glorified. Since last week’s murder, the father of Ali’s killer, Haji Baba Mohammed, has been receiving a huge crowd of people.
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom said the South Asian country is one of the most strictly enforced blasphemy laws in the world.
Last year, blasphemy allegations led to mob attacks in Christian areas of eastern Punjab province , burning down several churches and displacing hundreds of people.
A senior police officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the court would consider the leniency application of Ali’s family and decide whether to prosecute the officer.
According to police investigators, Ali’s alleged blasphemy centered on politics and debates about the Prophet Muhammad. He was taken to a more secure police station and hundreds of people gathered outside the station where he was initially detained, chanting slogans demanding his public execution.
