Blasphemy is also a crime under Pakistani law, punishable by death. (representative)
Lahore:
A mob in eastern Pakistan stormed a police station Saturday and killed a detained man accused of blasphemy, police said, in the latest episode of religion-related violence in the Islamic Republic.
One of the most high-profile cases of mobs acting in self-defense against people accused of blasphemy in the country was the 2021 murder of a Sri Lankan national, a manager of a garment factory.
A man in his early 20s, Muhammad Waris, was arrested on Saturday after being attacked by mobs for allegedly desecrating the Koran, the holy book of Muslims, police spokesman Muhammad Waqas told Reuters. police custody.
However, Mr Waqas added that mobs entered the station in Sahib, South Kanna, took Wallis out of the station, beat him to death and tried to set his body on fire.
“The police couldn’t resist them because there were a handful of officers in the police station,” he said, adding that police reinforcements were able to stop the mob from setting the bodies on fire and were ready to take action against the crowd.
A video of the incident, shared on social media and confirmed by police as authentic, shows a man being dragged across a street by his legs, stripped naked and beaten with sticks and metal bars.
International human rights groups have long criticized Pakistani authorities for not doing enough to prevent such killings over blasphemy charges, which are commonplace in the Muslim-majority country.
Blasphemy is also a crime under Pakistani law, punishable by death.
Six men have been sentenced to death for killing a Sri Lankan garment factory manager in a massive trial involving some 89 suspects, sparking national and global outrage. However, similar movements are rarely seen in other cases.
A police statement said some officers had been suspended due to their inability to stop the rioters.
Prime Minister Sheikh Baz Sharif has taken note of the incident and ordered an investigation, the government said.
(Aside from the title, this story is unedited by NDTV staff and published via a syndicated feed.)
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