02 Feb 2018 | 03:14 AM UTC
Pakistan: Protests possible in Karachi over extrajudicial killing
Protests possible in Karachi in the coming days following extrajudicial police killing of social media personality on January 13
Event
Protests may break out in Karachi (Sindh province) in the coming days over the recent extrajudicial police killing of a social media personality in the city. According to media reports on Thursday, February 1, public frustration has been high in the city since police killed Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 23-year-old aspiring model, on January 13. An associated heightened police presence and consequent transportation disruptions are expected surrounding any potential related protest in the coming days.
Context
Naqeebullah Mehsud was killed as part of a raid on suspected Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) and Islamic State (IS) militants in Karachi on January 13, which left three other suspected militants dead. A subsequent police investigation revealed that he had no known affiliation with any militant organization and was wrongly targeted by police after being abducted from a restaurant by unidentified individuals on January 3. Moreover, the investigation revealed that a police officer is suspected to have staged the encounter with Mehsud and to have arranged his killing.
Such police killings of suspected militants who resist arrest during raids, termed "encounter killings," have resulted in a decrease in violent crime, kidnapping, and terrorism in Karachi since police launched a major anti-crime and counterterror operation in 2013. Rates of violent crime, however, remain high in the city, and hundreds of people reportedly die each year in Karachi from police raids and shootouts with police officers.
Advice
Individuals in Karachi are advised to monitor developments to the situation, avoid all protests and demonstrations due to potential violence, and adhere to all instructions issued by local authorities.
Due to the high threat of terrorism and other forms of violent crime, individuals are advised to report any suspicious objects or behavior to the relevant authorities (their diplomatic mission or security manager). As a reminder, all Western embassies in Pakistan advise their citizens against nonessential travel to the country. Travel to Karachi (or elsewhere in Pakistan) should only be considered with proper security protocols in place.
