Mob in Pakistan Lynches Man Accused of Blasphemy

A mob in eastern Pakistan stormed a police station on Saturday, taking a man who was accused of blasphemy and lynching him. According to police spokesman Muhammad Waqas, the man, Muhammad Waris, was in his early 20s and was taken into police custody after a mob attacked him for allegedly desecrating the Quran. The mob stormed the police station, located in the city of Nankana Sahib, took Waris out, beat him to death, and attempted to set his body on fire.

Waqas added that police could not resist the mob because only a handful of officials were present in the station at the time. Police reinforcements were able to stop the mob from setting the body alight and were readying action against the crowd. A video of the incident shared on social media and confirmed as authentic by the police showed the man being dragged through the streets, stripped of his clothes, and pummeled with sticks and metal rods.

International rights groups have criticized Pakistani authorities for not doing enough to stem lynchings over accusations of blasphemy, which have been frequent in the Muslim-majority country. Blasphemy is a crime under Pakistani law and can carry the death sentence.

Six men were sentenced to death for lynching a Sri Lankan garment factory manager in 2021 after the matter sparked national and global outrage, but other cases rarely see similar action.

A number of police officials have been suspended due to their inability to stop the mob. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into the incident, according to a statement from the government.