Claim: Peshawar’s Islamia College University lecturer Dr Bashir Ahmad was killed over a blasphemy allegation.
Fact: The claim is false, as confirmed by Islamia College University’s provost and a journalist from Peshawar.
On 19 February 2023, Twitter account @DayWithNews posted a tweet (archive) claiming that Dr Bashir Ahmad, a lecturer at the Department of English of Peshawar’s Islamia College University, was shot dead over alleged blasphemy.
The lecturer was killed (archive) reportedly by a guard at Islamia College University following a verbal altercation.
@DayWithNews wrote: “One more #blasphemy incident in Pakistan chowkidar killed professor Bashir Ahmed of English Department, Islamia College Peshawar.”
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reached out to Islamia College University Provost Mian Syed Kamal, who denied that alleged blasphemy was the reason behind the dispute between Dr Bashir Ahmad and the guard, who has been identified as Sher Muhammad, according to a 21 February news report (archive).
“This is categorically incorrect. It was a situational issue,” Kamal said. “Nothing of this sort [blasphemy] ever came up before.”
Soch Fact Check also spoke with Izharullah, a multimedia journalist at Independent Urdu who reports from Peshawar and Islamabad. He said, “It is a personal confrontation. Happened earlier as well and then the matter was resolved but, again today, they exchanged harsh words.”
Izharullah added that the information he relayed to us is what police investigating the case said as well.
Virality
Soch Fact Check found that the tweet by @DayWithNews was viewed by close to 300 people. The account, which joined Twitter in February 2022, has the statement “propogenda against NaPakistan” in its bio and has shared false reports earlier as well.
Conclusion: Islamia College University Provost Mian Syed Kamal termed the claim “categorically incorrect”.
Background image in cover photo: Zafarmaini
