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Pakistani police surgeon shot dead after he dared to testify against security forces
By Emma Reynolds
Last updated at 5:42 PM on 29th December 2011
A Pakistani police surgeon has been shot dead after receiving death threats over his role in investigating the deaths of five foreigners.
Baqir Shah became suspicious when he conducted autopsies on the group from central Asia, of whom three were women and one was seven months pregnant.
Authorities originally said the five were would-be suicide bombers, who had died when they detonated a grenade at a checkpoint near Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
Brutal: Masked gunmen shot the surgeon, police said, after he said he had resisted pressure to fudge the postmortem reports of four unarmed foreigners shot by police
But Mr Shah had apparently discovered that the unarmed group were killed by a hail of bullets, fired by security forces.
One of the women was said to have been seen on video raising an arm in what looked like a pleading gesture as she was shot.
Mr Shah was severely beaten by men who he claimed were police soon after he testified before a government commission set up to investigate the deaths.
Police denied the allegations.
Mr Shah spoke out about the death threats from unknown people in a televised press conference earlier this year.
He said he had resisted pressure to fudge the postmortem reports of the four unarmed Russians and a Tajik.
The surgeon continued to receive threats on his life until he was shot by masked gunmen in Quetta, according to police officer Nazir Ahmed Khurd.
The government tribunal held several police and paramilitary soldiers thought to be responsible for the deaths of the foreigners.
By Emma Reynolds
Last updated at 5:42 PM on 29th December 2011
A Pakistani police surgeon has been shot dead after receiving death threats over his role in investigating the deaths of five foreigners.
Baqir Shah became suspicious when he conducted autopsies on the group from central Asia, of whom three were women and one was seven months pregnant.
Authorities originally said the five were would-be suicide bombers, who had died when they detonated a grenade at a checkpoint near Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
Brutal: Masked gunmen shot the surgeon, police said, after he said he had resisted pressure to fudge the postmortem reports of four unarmed foreigners shot by police
But Mr Shah had apparently discovered that the unarmed group were killed by a hail of bullets, fired by security forces.
One of the women was said to have been seen on video raising an arm in what looked like a pleading gesture as she was shot.
Mr Shah was severely beaten by men who he claimed were police soon after he testified before a government commission set up to investigate the deaths.
Police denied the allegations.
Mr Shah spoke out about the death threats from unknown people in a televised press conference earlier this year.
He said he had resisted pressure to fudge the postmortem reports of the four unarmed Russians and a Tajik.
The surgeon continued to receive threats on his life until he was shot by masked gunmen in Quetta, according to police officer Nazir Ahmed Khurd.
The government tribunal held several police and paramilitary soldiers thought to be responsible for the deaths of the foreigners.