A tragic incident has occurred in Madyan, a popular hill station in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, north-western Pakistan, where a man accused of desecrating the Quran was killed by a mob. Local media reported that hundreds of men stormed a police station where the accused was held, vandalizing the premises before violently attacking him. The man, a tourist from the Sialkot district of Punjab, was reportedly handed over to the police by locals before the mob intervened.
Videos circulating on social media show the mob beating the man and setting his body on fire. Police spokesman Wajid Rasool confirmed the incident, stating that investigations have begun and efforts are underway to trace those responsible for the attack on the police station.
Blasphemy remains a highly sensitive and dangerous accusation in Pakistan, often leading to violent repercussions. Individuals accused of blasphemy have frequently been targeted by extremist vigilante groups. Previous incidents include the vandalism of a Christian neighborhood in Sargodha and the torture of a man accused of blasphemy, who later died in a hospital. In 2020, a Pakistani-U.S. citizen was shot and killed in a courtroom during his blasphemy trial.
This recent incident highlights the severe and often lethal consequences of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, emphasizing the need for legal and societal reforms to address such extrajudicial actions and protect the accused.
