Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan (Representational)
Peshawar:
A man was beaten to death by a mob after being accused of blasphemy at a rally for former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s party, officials said Sunday.
Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, where even unproven allegations can stir mobs and violence.
Video of the lynching has been shared widely on social media, with police seen vainly trying to stop a frenzied mob from beating the man.
The incident took place on Saturday in the Sawal Dher area of Mardan city in the country’s ultra-conservative northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan.
Police said a man identified as Nigar Alam was asked to deliver the concluding prayer at a rally organised by Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party when the crowd took offence to his comments.
He managed to flee the scene, police said, but a mob tracked him down to a relative’s house.
“A group of individuals climbed over the wall, barged inside, and beat him to death with sticks and batons,” said district police chief Najeeb-ur-Rehman
“The mob was so agitated that it became extremely challenging for the police to even recover the body,” he told AFP.
Another local police official, Umair Khan, confirmed the incident.
PTI leader Imran Khan was not present at the rally and party officials had no immediate comment on the incident.
According to the Centre for Social Justice — an independent group advocating for the rights of minorities — more than 2,000 people have been accused of committing blasphemy since 1987, and at least 88 people killed by lynch mobs for similar allegations.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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