Pakistan mob sets fire to police station over alleged Holy Quran desecration 

Car on fire are pictured as demonstrators gather at a police station which was set on fire after thousands of people mobbed it demanding that officers hand over a man accused of burning the Holy Quran, in Charsadda, Pakistan, on November 29, 2021. (AFP)
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Updated 29 November 2021
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Pakistan mob sets fire to police station over alleged Holy Quran desecration 

  • Crowd of up to 5,000 people surrounded police station in Charsadda town on Sunday night
  • On Monday morning, 2,000 people remained outside police station burning uniforms of officers

PESHAWAR: Thousands of people mobbed a Pakistani police station, setting fire to it and nearby checkposts after demanding that officers hand over a man accused of burning the Holy Quran, police said Monday.
The crowd of up to 5,000 people surrounded the police station in Charsadda town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday night, also setting fire to more than 30 cars.
On Monday morning, around 2,000 people remained outside the police station burning uniforms of officers.
"The mob stormed the police station asking to hand over the man to them so they could burn him alive like he burnt the Holy Quran," district police chief, Asif Bahadur told AFP.




Demonstrators gather at a police station which was set on fire after thousands of people mobbed it demanding that officers hand over a man accused of burning the Holy Quran, in Charsadda, in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on November 29, 2021. (AFP)

The identity and religion of the accused has not been disclosed by police, Bahadur said.
"The motive behind burning the copy of the Holy Quran is still unknown but we are investigating."
Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mobs and violence.
Rights groups say the legislation is often hijacked for personal vendettas, with minorities largely the target.
A Christian couple was lynched then burnt in a kiln in Punjab in 2014 after being falsely accused of desecrating the Holy Quran. A former Punjab governor Salman Taseer was gunned down by his bodyguard, Mumtaz Qadri, in Islamabad in 2011 over his call for reforms of the blasphemy law.
Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman and a labourer from central Punjab province, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and was on death row until her acquittal in 2018, which prompted days of violent demonstrations by hardliners. She and her family later fled the country for Canada.
The country has frequently been paralysed in recent years by anti-blasphemy protests waged by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, often linked to the publishing of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) by a French satirical magazine. 


Sri Lanka wins toss and fielding first against Pakistan in 1st ODI

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Sri Lanka wins toss and fielding first against Pakistan in 1st ODI

  • Sri Lanka wins toss and fielding first against Pakistan in 1st ODI
  • xPakistan replace leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed with right-arm fast bowler Naseem Shah

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan: Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field against Pakistan in their one-day international on Tuesday.

Captain Charith Asalanka said he expected dew later in the night at Pindi Cricket Stadium and was encouraged to bowl first.

Ace leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has returned to the ODI format and a debut was handed to 24-year-old left-handed opener Kamil Mishara.

Pakistan made one forced change from the team which won the third and decisive ODI against South Africa last Saturday. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, who bagged a career-best 4-27 on Saturday, was unwell and replaced by fast bowler Naseem Shah.

In the absence of specialist spinner Abrar, Pakistan will bank on spin all-rounders Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha and Mohammad Nawaz.

Rawalpindi will host all the three ODIs in the series this week before Zimbabwe joins Pakistan and Sri Lanka for a Twenty20 tri-series.

Pakistan, led by new ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, turned around its below-par performances in 2025 by beating a depleted South Africa 2-1 last week.

Lineups:

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando.