ANGRY MOB LYNCHES MAN ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY IN PAKISTAN

In Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, hundreds of Muslims converged on a police station on Saturday, seized a blasphemy suspect from his cell, brought him outside, and lynched him, according to authorities.

According to senior police official Babar Sarfaraz Alpa, a guy only known as Waris had been taken into custody for desecrating the pages of a copy of the Quran, the holy book of Islam.

He claimed that Waris had glued pictures of himself, his wife, and a knife on various pages of the book, displayed them, and dispersed them across Nankana’s rural area.

The Warburton police station was attacked by a furious mob of hundreds, according to Alpa, some of whom scaled a wall using a wooden ladder and unlocked the main gate.

Waris was allegedly taken from his cell and the entire police station was looted, according to Alpa.

By the time more police officers arrived on the scene, the victim had already been lynched and his body was on fire.

However, police thwarted their effort with the assistance of more sensible locals, he claimed.

In Pakistan, blasphemy offences are punishable by death.

Blasphemy accusations, according to international and Pakistani rights organisations, are frequently used to frighten religious minorities and settle personal grudges.

Shahbaz Sharif, the prime minister, denounced the event and urged the commander of the Punjab police to discipline any officials who failed to safeguard the suspect while they were in prison.

According to Alpa, Waris was detained in 2019 on a prior blasphemy allegation and remained behind bars into the middle of 2022.

He claimed that on Saturday morning, Waris again desecrated the Quran, and that when people noticed it, they grabbed him and began beating him. Police, however, intervened to save Waris and arrested him.

The lynching of Waris would be looked into, according to Alpa.

For incompetence in the performance of their duties and failing to stop the attack on the police station as well as the execution of the suspect,

Punjab police commissioner Usman Anwar suspended the police station chief and the area deputy superintendent.

In December 2021, a group lynched the Sri Lankan manager of a sports equipment factory in Punjab who they accused of blasphemy.