ISLAMABAD: A middle-aged man was stoned to death by a mob over alleged blasphemy in a remote village in Khanewal district on Saturday, Pakistani media widely reported on Sunday.
The killing comes just months after a mob of factory employees tortured and burned a Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot in December over apparent blasphemy in a "horrific" attack that Prime Minister Imran Khan said had brought shame on the country.
The incident drew nationwide condemnation and authorities arrested dozens of people over involvement in the killing of Priyantha Kumara. Those linked to Kumara’s murder are facing a trial in Pakistan.
“The Saturday incident took place in Jungle Dera village where hundreds of locals gathered after Maghrib prayers following announcements that a man had torn some pages of the Holy Quran and later set them on fire,” Dawn newspaper reported. “The villagers first hanged him with a tree and then hit him with bricks, until he died.”
The Express Tribune newspaper reported that the accused, who claimed innocence, had been in police custody but was allowed to leave the police station even though an angry mob was present outside.
“Taking notice of the incident, IG Punjab Rao Sardar Ali Khan sought a report from Additional IG South Punjab over the incident,” Tribune said. “He also directed RPO Multan to conduct a thorough inquiry in this regard and ordered DPO Khanewal to reach the affected location as soon as possible.”
Mob killings over accusations of blasphemy - a crime that can carry the death sentence - have been frequent in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
In January this year, a Pakistani court sentenced a Muslim woman to death after finding her guilty of blasphemy for insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
The woman, Aneeqa Atteeq, was arrested in May 2020 after the man alerted police that she sent him offensive caricatures via WhatsApp.
Under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting the religion or religious figures can be sentenced to death. While authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy, just the accusation can cause riots.
Pakistani man lynched over alleged blasphemy in Khanewal village
https://arab.news/njg6e
Pakistani man lynched over alleged blasphemy in Khanewal village
- Media reports accused was in police custody but was allowed to exit police station even though angry mob waited outside
- Incident comes months after mob tortured and burned Sri Lankan factory manager in Sialkot over apparent blasphemy
Pakistan regulator says over 21,600 new companies registered in first half of FY26
- This reflects a 29 percent increase compared to the 16,839 companies that were registered during same period last year, says regulator
- These incorporations contributed $109.5 billion in paid-up capital, says Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan report
ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) said this week it registered over 21,600 new companies in the first half of the current fiscal year, reflecting rising investor confidence and positive economic outlook in the country.
In a report issued on Jan. 6, the SECP said it registered 21,668 companies in the first six months of the current fiscal year, adding that these incorporations contributed Rs30.7 billion [$109.5 million] in paid-up capital.
The report said this represented a 29 percent increase compared to the 16,839 companies registered during the same period last year.
“Pakistan’s business landscape continues to demonstrate strong momentum, reflecting rising investor confidence and a positive economic outlook,” the SECP report said.
The SECP said the latest increase has brought the total number of registered companies in Pakistan to 279,724. It said the top ten sectors by incorporations were led by the IT & e-commerce, with 4,277 companies, followed by trading (2,997 companies), services (2,686 companies) and real estate (2,031 companies).
“This sectoral diversity highlights expanding entrepreneurial activity, particularly in technology-driven and service-oriented industries,” the report said.
The SECP said foreign investment also remained “robust” during the period, adding that 524 newly incorporated companies received foreign investment amounting to Rs1.26 billion [$4.5 million] with the participation from 731 foreign investors.
“China emerged as the leading source, accounting for 71 percent of total inflows,” the SECP said. “It was followed by Afghanistan (8 percent), the United States (2 percent), and the United Kingdom, Germany, South
Africa, South Korea, Norway, Vietnam, Nigeria, and Bangladesh, each contributing 1 percent,” it added.
The SECP said an additional 11 percent of the investment originated from other countries.
