On Saturday, while Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf held rallies around the country, a horrible event at one of the former ruling party’s rallies made headlines, with a savage crowd lynching a man after accusing him of blasphemy in Mardan.
According to local police officers, the event occurred on Saturday evening when PTI activists and leaders took to the streets in Mardan.
According to the police chief, the man, identified as Nigar Alam, a resident of Shirin Kot in Nowshehra, visited Mardan on Saturday to join PTI and participated in the rally, but he made some contentious statements while leading a dua on the stage at the end of the rally that was considered blasphemy by the masses.
On social media, horrifying videos of hundreds of people kicking and hitting him with sticks were uploaded. Police were reportedly present during the gathering but were unable to stop the agitated members, who even attempted to torch the corpse. The dead body was later taken into custody by authorities.
On social media, campaigners expressed their outrage and grief at yet another mass lynching for supposed blasphemy. #Mardan and other hashtags are now trending on Twitter and other social media sites.
Mob lynchings for blasphemy are widespread in South Asian countries, as agitated people take matters into their own hands, despite the fact that blasphemy is punishable by death under the country’s current laws.
A Chinese engineer was jailed last month after workers at the Dasu dam construction site accused him of blasphemy.
Also read: Chinese engineer denies blasphemy, sent to jail in Pakistan
