Pakistani authorities have suspended policemen who opened fire and killed a blasphemy suspect earlier this week, only to be applauded and showered with rose petals by local residents after the killing.

Dr Kanbhar had gone into hiding on Tuesday after being accused of insulting Islam’s prophet Muhammad and sharing blasphemous content on social media. He is the second blasphemy suspect in Pakistan to be shot dead in the space of a week.

Police in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province shot dead a man accused of blasphemy in an alleged encounter on Thursday, drawing condemnation.

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.