On the night of Thursday, June 20th, a group of enraged individuals lynched a man in the Madyan area of Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, accusing him of Quran desecration.
According to reports, the victim hailed from Sialkot district in Punjab province, Pakistan, and was visiting Swat as a tourist. A Muslim mob accused him of burning pages of the Quran, which they used as justification for lynching him.
Initially, Swat police detained the ‘blasphemy accused’ to maintain public order. However, a mob later stormed the police station, forcibly removed the victim, and took him away.
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Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Dr. Zahidullah Khan reported to Dawn that individuals had set fire to both the police station and a mobile vehicle. Eight people sustained injuries during the attack.
Subsequently, the victim was lynched and his body was set on fire. A video capturing the horrific incident circulated widely on social media on Thursday night.
In response, a significant police presence was deployed in the Madyan area to restore order. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has acknowledged the situation and urged Muslims to uphold peace.
He has requested a detailed report on the incident and instructed SDPO Dr. Zahidullah Khan to promptly control the situation.
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In May of this year, Nazir Masih, an elderly Christian man, was tragically killed by a group of Muslims in Sialkot. The incident occurred in Mujahid Colony, Sargodha city, Punjab province, Pakistan, following unfounded allegations of blasphemy (Toheen-e-Mazhab). The mob vandalized Masih’s home, looted his factory, and fatally set him on fire, alleging he had desecrated pages of the Quran. In reality, Masih’s actions were intended as a gesture of goodwill, but tragically led to his death.
Tariq Sajid, the victim’s nephew, described the incident to Swarajya, recounting how their neighborhood was engulfed by a storm on the night between May 24th and May 25th.