Man suspected of blasphemy lynched on street in Pakistan

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:59

In Pakistan’s eastern province of Punjab, hundreds of people stormed a police station and lynched a detainee. The man, suspected of blasphemy, was taken from his cell, dragged out and beaten to death. The attackers then set fire to the body.

The victim, Muhammad Waris, was taken away by police after allegedly desecrating pages of the Quran. According to the police, Waris had pasted images of himself, his wife and a knife on several pages of the Muslim holy book. He then distributed those pages in the rural district of Nankana, police said.

Previous punishment for blasphemy

When storming the police station, the mob used a ladder to climb over a wall and open the main gate. They then ransacked the police station and Waris was taken from his cell.

Footage posted on social media shows the man’s naked body being dragged across the street and beaten. Other images show his body being set on fire.

Waris was arrested for blasphemy in 2019, according to a senior local police official. He served a prison sentence for this and was released halfway through last year.

Settling personal accounts

According to the police official, Waris violated the Quran again today. Eyewitnesses grabbed him and started beating him. To protect him, Waris was taken away by the police and put in jail.

The maximum penalty in Pakistan for blasphemy or blasphemy is the death penalty. International and Pakistani rights groups say blasphemy charges are often used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.

The Pakistani government has long been under pressure to change its blasphemy laws, something orthodox Muslims strongly oppose.

Today’s incident is not an isolated incident. In December 2021, a group lynched a Sri Lankan manager of a sporting goods factory in Punjab, accusing them of blasphemy. Last year, six men were sentenced to death for their role in the lynching.

Chief Inspector suspended

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has condemned the killing and asked the Punjab police chief to take action against the officers who failed to protect Waris, Reuters news agency reported.

The chief of the police station and the deputy superintendent are suspended for dereliction of duty for failing to prevent the attack on the police station and the killing of the suspect.

Source