— PM Shehbaz orders investigation into mob-lynching
— IG Punjab suspends two senior cops for negliganc
NANKANA SAHIB: A 35-year-old man arrested over blasphemy allegations was lynched on Saturday in Punjab’s Nankana Sahib district after a mob broke into the police station where the victim was being held.
According to reports, the victim was accused of allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran and locals claimed the victim was involved in ‘witchcraft’.
Following the accusation, he was handed over to the local police force, however, a mob later formed at the police station after news of the incident spread in the area. The mob demanded the police hand over the accused.
In videos that surfaced on social media, the mob can be seen scaling the large gates of the Warburton Police Station, forcing it open, after which the crowd entered the building.
The mob then searched the police station for the victime, found and killed him, and then dragged the body naked through the streets as more people threw sticks and stones at the body.
PM Shehbaz orders investigation
Taking notice of the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation.
“Why didn’t the police stop the violent mob? The rule of law should be ensured. No one should be allowed to influence the law,” he was quoted as saying by a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.
PM Shehbaz said that ensuring peace and order was the first priority for the relevant institutions responsible for that duty.
Senior Cops suspended
The chief of Punjab police, Usman Anwar, suspended two senior officers for their failure to prevent the purported mob lynching of a man in Nankana Sahib over blasphemy allegations, according to a statement issued to the press by his office on Saturday.
According to the statement, Anwar took immediate action after videos circulating on social media showed a violent mob outside a police station in the city named after the first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak, leading to the death of a man accused of “desecrating the Quran”.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed a violent mob outside a police station, which the suspended officers, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nawaz Waraq and Station House Officer (SHO) Feroz Bhatti, failed to control.
Total madness!!! An angry mob attacked the police station in Nankana Sahib. Reportedly an accused of blasphemy was killed and body burnt by the mob. Apparently police was unable to control the situation. pic.twitter.com/1kdNGFmqro
— Shiraz Hassan (@ShirazHassan) February 11, 2023
Anwar has directed Syed Muhammad Amin Bukhari, deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Internal Accountability Branch, and Raja Faisal, DIG of the Special Branch, to investigate the incident and submit a report.
Strict departmental and legal action will be taken against those responsible for the incident and for any acts of negligence and incompetence, according to the official.
Meanwhile, Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC), a religious body representing clerics from across Pakistan, condemned the incident, calling it regrettable and condemnable.
The incident comes days after the National Assembly passed a bill that further weaponised the blasphemy laws.
The bill, adopted on January 17, proposes to increase the punishment in cases pertaining to the blasphemy of the prophet’s companions and his progeny, an offense under section 298-A in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The bill seeks to increase the period of detention, currently set at three years, to a minimum of 10 years and extendable up to lifetime imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs1 million. It also suggests modifying blasphemy to a non-bailable offense.
