A Pakistani mob dragged a tourist accused of blasphemy from a police station and lynched him, officials said, the BBC reported Friday.
The tourist was accused of desecrating the Quran, the outlet reported. (RELATED: Biden State Department Wants To Use The Power Of Islam To Fight Climate Change)
Tourist accused of blasphemy killed by mob in Pakistan https://t.co/uS0vPDTidi
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) June 21, 2024
The mob hauled the bloodied man through the streets from the station and set him alight, footage shows, the BBC reported. Mohammad Ali Gandapur, the regional police chief, accused a local mosque of inflaming the mob after police attempted to rescue the tourist, the outlet reported.
“After initially rescuing the man from a crowd, the police took him to the station in Madyan, but announcements from mosque loud speakers asked locals to come out,” Gandapur told Reuters.
Dr. Zahidullah, a local officer, told the BBC that cops tried to clear blocked roads to allow the mob to disperse.
The mob action left 11 people injured, police said, according to the BBC. Police officers constituted eight of the injured, Reuters reported.
Gandapur told the outlet that a case was filed against the organizers of the mob. Hundreds of individuals are under investigation with some as young as 13, the BBC reported.
Other tourists are reportedly scrambling to leave the area following this disturbance to the public peace.
Lynching those accused of blasphemy is not an unheard of practice in Pakistan, the British news outlet reported. Blasphemy, the insulting of Islam or Islamic religious figures, can lead to the death penalty in Pakistan, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Pakistani authorities, however, have not yet carried out such a sentence for those convicted, according to The AP.
