A Muslim mob in Pakistan descended on a police station and reportedly lynched a man who was inside on Thursday over allegations he had desecrated the Quran, something that is considered blasphemy in the country. The attackers beat the man to death and set his body on fire.
"The mob attacked the police station and took the suspect away," said Dr. Zahidullah Khan, a District Police Officer. "People set fire to the police station and a mobile vehicle," he said, per Outlook India. "The suspect was torched," he confirmed.
It was reported on Friday that police registered a case against hundreds of people who were allegedly part of the mob but have not yet arrested anyone, according to Kahn.
The victim was a tourist from another Pakistani province, Punjab, named Mohammad Ismail, The Washington Post reports. He was staying at a local hotel in the town of Madyan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when "locals turned on him and accused him of blasphemy," the outlet states.
Local police official Rahim Ullah reported that police officers had taken Ismail to the station for his protection but that an angry mob of Muslims pursued him, beat him to death and burned his body. The police station and police cars were also set on fire.
Part of the incident was captured on video and uploaded to social media. The footage shows a mob of hundreds of people gathering around a fire which assumingly contained the body of Ismail. Some people in the video can be seen smashing long sticks down in the direction of the fire, indicating they were striking the body of the deceased.
The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Ali Amin Gandapur, condemned the attack on X and ordered an investigation while former Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry posted: "We are hell-bent on committing suicide as a society."
"The mob attacked the police station and took the suspect away," said Dr. Zahidullah Khan, a District Police Officer. "People set fire to the police station and a mobile vehicle," he said, per Outlook India. "The suspect was torched," he confirmed.
It was reported on Friday that police registered a case against hundreds of people who were allegedly part of the mob but have not yet arrested anyone, according to Kahn.
The victim was a tourist from another Pakistani province, Punjab, named Mohammad Ismail, The Washington Post reports. He was staying at a local hotel in the town of Madyan in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when "locals turned on him and accused him of blasphemy," the outlet states.
Local police official Rahim Ullah reported that police officers had taken Ismail to the station for his protection but that an angry mob of Muslims pursued him, beat him to death and burned his body. The police station and police cars were also set on fire.
Part of the incident was captured on video and uploaded to social media. The footage shows a mob of hundreds of people gathering around a fire which assumingly contained the body of Ismail. Some people in the video can be seen smashing long sticks down in the direction of the fire, indicating they were striking the body of the deceased.
The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Ali Amin Gandapur, condemned the attack on X and ordered an investigation while former Pakistani Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry posted: "We are hell-bent on committing suicide as a society."
