PESHAWAR: A teacher at an all-girls religious school was killed by a woman colleague and two students who accused her of blasphemy, Pakistan police said Wednesday, the latest murder in the country related to the hugely sensitive issue.
Few issues in Pakistan are as galvanising as blasphemy, and even the slightest suggestion of an insult to Islam can supercharge protests and incite lynchings.
The latest incident took place Tuesday in Dera Ismail Khan in the country's ultra-conservative northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan.
Police said two students and a teacher ambushed Safoora Bibi at the main gate of the school and attacked her with a knife and stick.
"She died after her throat was slit," police official Saghir Ahmed told AFP.
The main suspect is a colleague who planned the crime with two nieces studying at the Jamia Islamia Falahul Binaat school, police said.
The girls told police a relative had dreamt the dead woman "had committed blasphemy" against the Prophet Mohammed, officers said, adding they were also investigating if the main suspect, Umra Aman, had a personal grudge.
Azeem Khan, another police official, confirmed the details.
Rights groups say Pakistan's blasphemy laws are often wielded to settle personal vendettas.
Last year, a Sri Lankan factory manager working in Pakistan was beaten to death and set ablaze by a mob after being accused of blasphemy.
The Centre for Social Justice, an independent group advocating for the rights of minorities, says at least 84 people were accused of committing blasphemy last year, and three people were killed by lynch mobs over similar allegations.
Teacher at Pakistan school killed over alleged 'blasphemy' - police
https://arab.news/btu74
Teacher at Pakistan school killed over alleged 'blasphemy' - police
- The main suspect is a colleague who planned the crime with two nieces at the school
- The girls told police a relative had dreamt the dead woman "had committed blasphemy"
Pakistan accepts Trump’s invitation to join ‘Board of Peace’ for lasting peace in Gaza
- Pakistan’s foreign office hopes board’s efforts lead to permanent ceasefire in Gaza, independent Palestinian state
- UAE, Egypt, Israel, Bahrain and others have also accepted Trump’s invitation to join body that aims to resolve conflicts
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office announced on Wednesday that Islamabad has accepted US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace (BoP), hoping it would lead to the implementation of a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The White House last week announced the names of some members of the BoP, a global body that aims to restore peace in areas affected by conflict including Gaza, where a fragile ceasefire has been in place since October 2025. Chaired by Trump, the board would include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Pakistan joins the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Vietnam in joining the BoP. Israel announced on Wednesday its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also be a member of the board.
“In response to the invitation extended to Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif by the President of the United States, H.E. Donald J. Trump, Pakistan would like to announce its decision to join the Board of Peace (BoP) as part of its ongoing efforts to support the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan under the framework of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803,” the Pakistani foreign office said in a statement.
The foreign office said Pakistan hoped concrete steps will be taken toward the implementation of a permanent ceasefire, further scaling up of humanitarian aid for the Palestinians as well as reconstruction of Gaza with the creation of the board.
The statement said Islamabad also hopes these efforts will lead to the realization of the right to self-determination of Palestinians through a “credible, time-bound political process, consistent with international legitimacy and relevant UN resolutions, resulting in the establishment of an independent, sovereign, and contiguous State of Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.”
“Pakistan looks forward to continue playing a constructive role as part of the Board of Peace for the achievement of these goals as well as to end the suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” the statement concluded.
Pakistan has consistently supported the demand for Palestinian statehood under UN resolutions and has publicly criticized Israeli military operations in Gaza, while also opposing broader regional escalations, including attacks on Iran.
According to the BoP’s charter seen by international wire agency AFP, the board is “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
As chairman of the BoP, Trump has the power to pick members of an executive board to be “leaders of global stature” to “serve two-year terms, subject to removal by the chairman,” the board’s charter as seen by AFP reads.
