Pakistani blasphemy suspect's family forgives officer accused of killing him

19/9/2024 16:35

        The family of a blasphemy suspect killed in custody in southwestern Pakistan has forgiven the police officer accused of killing him, saying they would not press charges "in the name of God".
        
        Abdul Ali, 52, also known as Sakhi Lala, was shot dead last week in a heavily fortified police station in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, by police officer Saayd Mohammad Sarhadi, who had accessed the facility by pretending to be Ali's relative, police said.
        
        "We will not fight the case," Ali's son Muhammad Usman told a press conference late on Wednesday, sitting with another brother and some elders from his tribal clan. "We have forgiven the police officer in the name of God."
        
        Blasphemy is punishable by death in predominantly Muslim Pakistan. No one has been executed by the state for the crime, but dozens of those accused have been lynched by mobs before trial.