Pakistani man accused of blasphemy lynched by mob and his body dragged in the street


Two senior policemen have been suspended for failing to prevent the killing of a Pakistani man accused of blasphemy, a Punjab Police statement said.
 
Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar took notice of the lynching of the man who allegedly desecrated the Quran. 

In one video on social media, the mob can be seen climbing the gate of what appeared to be the Warburton Police Station in Nankana Sahib, and opening it, after which the crowd outside storms the building.

IG, Anwar, has suspended Nankana Sahib Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawaz Waraq and Warburton Station House Officer Feroz Bhatti.

He also directed the Internal Accountability Branch Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Muhammad Amin Bukhari and Special Branch DIG Raja Faisal to investigate the incident and submit an inquiry report.
 
However, a first information report about the incident has not been registered as of yet.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an investigation.
 
He has questioned why the police did not stop the violent mob, saying no one should be allowed to influence the law. 
 
He added that the first priority for the relevant institutions should be ensuring peace and order.
 
Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri said the incident was part of a “sad and dangerous” trend that haunts society. 
 
Elsewhere, Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi said the incident was regrettable, and condemned the actions. 
 
The killing comes shortly after a similar incident in Sialkot in December 2021, when a Sri Lan¬kan engineer was lynched by factory workers on blasphemy charges.

The blasphemy laws in the country continue to be used to justify mob violence, and as an excuse by criminals to take the law into their own hands.