Shia Target Killing
October 2,2023: Shia youth accused of blasphemy shot dead in Khanewal
Date : November 2, 2023
Location : Khanewal
Casualties :1
Gender : male ,
Narrative of the Event
“On November 2, 2023, in Khanewal, the tragic shooting and death of Umair Ali, a young Shia man accused in a blasphemy case, unfolded in Makhdoompur Poharan.
Image of FIR registered against the murderers of Umair Ali , young Shia who was accused in a blasphemy case
Umair Ali, a young Shia Muslim accused in a blasphemy case, was fatally shot by three assailants belonging to a banned Shia-phobic militant outfit in front of his house in Makhdoompur Poharan, a small town in the Khanewal district of Punjab, Pakistan. Tahir Altaf, one of the three assailants, surrendered himself at Makhdoompur Police Station, Khanewal. The police have registered an FIR (498/23) under Section 302 of the PPC and Article 7 of the Anti-Terrorists Act against Tahir Altaf Mughal and two other unidentified persons based on an application submitted by the deceased Umair Ali’s father.
File Photo: Umair Ali
According to the registered FIR, Umair Ali and his brother Bakhat Ali were standing in front of their house in Street No. 6 of Local Bazar Muakhdoompur when three assailants led by Muhammad Tahir Altaf appeared. Tahir Altaf Mughal, armed with a pistol, fired at Umair Ali, hitting him in the left elbow and shin. Despite being taken to the hospital, Umair Ali died on the way.
District Police Officer Khanewal, Rana Umar Farooq, stated, “The deceased Umair Ali was on bail in a case registered against him under Section 298-A of the Pakistan Penal Code- PPC. He was accused of blasphemy during the Mourning Procession on the last 9th Muharram in Mukhdoompur Poharan, Khanewal.”
The news of the killing of the young Shia accused of blasphemy received no coverage from domestic and foreign media; neither print nor electronic outlets brought attention to the incident.
Defamatory phrases continued to circulate on social media alongside the photo of the Shia youth who was killed on charges of blasphemy.
References:
https://www.dawn.com/news/amp/1785874
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