A man was killed and burned by a mob in Pakistan over a suspected burning of the Quran. The gang took the man away from a police station on Thursday, where he was staying for his protection.
Residents in the Madyan area of Swat Valley had earlier arrested the man and alleged that he had burned the Quran. “Police intervened, rescued him and took him to the local police station,” a police source told AFP.
But the crowd, incited by local mosques, stormed the police station and threw stones at the man, who was not from the region.
Pour oil over it and set it on fire
Warning shots fired by police only further incited the crowd, the report said. The crowd overpowered the police, dragged the man outside and beat him to death with sticks. Later they poured oil on his body and set it on fire.
Such incidents are not uncommon in Pakistan. In late May, a Christian accused of burning pages from the Quran was lynched by a mob in the Punjab region of East Pakistan. Also in Punjab, in February 2023, a mob beat to death a Muslim accused of desecrating the Quran.
Blasphemy is often a pretext
The accusation of “blasphemy” is a highly sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan. Blasphemous crimes can be punishable by death, although this has never happened. But even the slightest suspicion of an insult to Islam can lead to protests and lynchings. According to human rights activists, the accusation is also often used as an excuse for personal vendettas.
Source: Krone
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