Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan (Representational)
Peshawar:
A man was lynched by a mob on charges of blasphemy at a rally of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party. Officials gave this information on Sunday.
Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can incite mobs and lead to violence.
The video of the lynching has been widely shared on social media, in which police are seen trying in vain to stop the frenzied mob from thrashing the man.
The incident took place on Saturday in Sawal Dher area of Mardan city in the country’s ultra-Orthodox northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bordering Afghanistan.
Police said a man named Nigar Alam was asked to deliver the closing prayer at a rally organized by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party after the crowd booed his comments.
Police said he managed to flee the scene, but the mob found him at a relative’s house.
District police chief Najeeb-ur-Rehman said, “A group of people climbed over the wall, barged in and beat him to death with sticks and rods.”
“The crowd was so agitated that even recovering the body became extremely challenging for the police,” he told AFP.
Another local police officer, Umair Khan, confirmed the incident.
PTI leader Imran Khan was not present at the rally and party officials did not immediately comment on the incident.
According to the Center for Social Justice – an independent group that advocates for the rights of minorities – more than 2,000 people have been accused of blasphemy since 1987, and at least 88 people have been lynched for similar charges. has been killed.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)