Teacher shot dead on blasphemy allegation in Pakistan

The 22-year-old teacher used to work in the language centre

Balochistan: On the allegation of blasphemy, a teacher was shot dead by unknown men in Kech district in southern Balochistan, Dawn reported.

According to the police, an English teacher, Abdul Rauf, was attacked near a graveyard in the Malikabad area in Turbat town of the district on Saturday when he, accompanied by some people, was going to attend a ‘jirga,’ a forum for resolving disputes, to explain his position to Ulemas on the matter.

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The 22-year-old teacher used to work in the language centre. Citing the sources, Dawn reported that students of the language centre had lodged complaints with local clerics, accusing Rauf of committing blasphemy during a lecture. The matter also gained traction on social media.

On this matter, Sudhir Ahmed, the principal said that a group of ulema visited the language centre on Friday and listened to the students and Rauf on the issue.

Rauf denied the allegation and insisted he did not commit any blasphemy. He tendered an apology for any objectionable words on the issue, according to Dawn.

The clerics said they would resolve the issue and asked Rauf to come to the ‘jirga’, to be held in a madrassa, to explain his position.

I invited Abdul Rauf to the jirga where over 100 ulemas from Turbat were present to resolve the issue amicably, but he was killed by unknown masked men before reaching the madrassa, Mufti Shah Mir said.

He said police were informed about the issue after the murder.

The teachers family has not lodged any case with the police. They received the body and took it to their native town, the Bal Nagor area, for burial.

No one from the family is available to provide further information. However, police have registered a case against unknown individuals, as per Dawn.

A special police team has been constituted for a thorough investigation into the incident, considering all aspects, District Police Officer Mohammad Baloch told Dawn on Sunday.

He urged people to refrain from spreading hate statements or news on social media. The principal said Mr Rauf was studying at Turbat University and teaching English at the centre part-time.