PESHAWAR: Pakistani authorities have begun an investigation to identify and arrest members of a mob that killed a local tourist accused of blasphemy, after they ransacked a police station holding him in protective custody, officials said on Friday.
A mob beat the man to death on Thursday night after accusing him of burning pages of the Qur’an. They set the police station in the country’s northwest ablaze and injured eight policemen, Malakand division’s regional police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur told Reuters.
“After initially rescuing the man from a crowd, the police took him to the station in Madyan, but announcements from mosque loud speakers asked locals to come out,” Gandapur said, after which the mob stormed the station.
Lynchings are common in Pakistan, an Islamic republic where blasphemy can legally carry the death penalty.
Legal processes are frequently preceded by vigilante action based on rumors or complaints.
Graphic videos of the latest incident, verified to Reuters by the police, showed a frenzied mob dragging a naked and bloodied body through the streets, and then setting it on fire. The footage went viral on social media and sparked outcry among Pakistani users.
Gandapur said the situation was under control and a case registered against the organizers of the mob. He added the man had been visiting the Swat Valley, a popular tourist destination, for the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha.
Last month, a Christian man in his seventies was attacked by a mob on charges of burning pages of the Qur’an and later died of his injuries in eastern Pakistan.
In 2021, a Sri Lankan factory manager was lynched in one of the highest profile incidents in the country. Six people were sentenced to death for their part in the lynching after the incident sparked global outcry.
Pakistan police hunt mob that lynched local tourist accused of blasphemy
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Pakistan police hunt mob that lynched local tourist accused of blasphemy
- A mob beat the man to death on Thursday night after accusing him of burning pages of the Qur’an
- Lynchings are common in Islamic republic of Pakistan, where blasphemy can legally carry the death penalty
Pakistan seeks oil deal with Russia as energy ministries hold talks, RIA reports
- Pakistan began buying Russian crude in 2023 as it looked to cut energy import costs amid rising global prices
- Finance chief Muhammad Aurangzeb says both sides are exploring the construction of a steel plant in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Russia and Pakistan are in talks on a potential oil-sector agreement, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told RIA news agency in remarks published on Tuesday.
“All of these areas are Russia’s strengths. And we would be very happy if Russia agreed on an agreement in this sector with Pakistan,” Aurangzeb told RIA in an interview when asked about wider cooperation in exploration, production and refining between the two countries.
“At present, the issue is being discussed by the energy ministries of both sides.”
Russia also discussed upgrading a refinery in Pakistan with Russian companies involved, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev had said in November.
Pakistan has stepped up engagement with Russia in recent years as Moscow sought new energy markets after Western sanctions over Ukraine, and Islamabad looked to lower import costs. Pakistan began buying Russian crude in 2023.
Aurangzeb also said Russia and Pakistan are looking into building another steel plant in Pakistan, RIA reported.
