Karachi, Pakistan — Police in southern Pakistan shot dead a blasphemy suspect during an alleged shootout with armed men, officials said Thursday, the second such apparent extra-judicial killing in a week, drawing condemnation from human rights groups. Police identified the slain man as Shah Nawaz, a doctor in Umerkot district, Sindh province, who had gone into hiding two days ago after being accused of insulting Islam’s prophet Mohammed and sharing blasphemous content on social media. Local police chief Niaz Khoso said Nawaz was “killed just by chance” on Wednesday night when officers signaled two men riding on a motorcycle to stop in Mirpur Khas, a city in Sindh. He said instead of stopping, the men opened fire and tried to flee, prompting police to return fire. One of the suspects fled on the motorcycle, while the other was killed, he said. Khoso claimed it was only after the shootout that officers learned…
