ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Pakistan: Man Lynched to Death, PM Imran Khan Says Won't Be Tolerated

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday took notice of the incident and said "zero tolerance" would be shown.

Published
World
3 min read
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large
Hindi Female

A man was lynched to death by a mob on Saturday, 12 February, in central Pakistan for allegedly burning the pages of Quran. More than 60 persons have been arrested so far on the suspicion of being party to the crime.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday took notice of the incident and said "zero tolerance" will be shown to the perpetrators and action will be taken against the police officials who "failed in their duty."

"The lynching will be dealt with full severity of the law. We have zero tolerance for anyone taking the law into their own hands," Khan said in a statement.

The police is identifying more suspects with the help of videos of the incident doing the rounds on social media.

The mob gathered at a mosque on Saturday night in Tulamba village of Khanewal district, after they heard a man claim that the pages of the holy book were being burnt by a Muhammad Mushtaq.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

Police Take Action

Police official Munawar Hussain told Reuters that the villagers, who were armed with batons, axes and iron rods, killed him and hanged his body from a tree. He claimed that the mob had attacked the police too.

The First Information Report (FIR) accessed by The Dawn showed that the police have already conducted more than 120 raids at various locations and detained several suspects, while more raids were underway. A secret police operation was carried out throughout the night, it read.

The police had reportedly identified 33 suspects and around 200-300 others were involved beating the man with rods, sticks and bricks.

0

‘Bone-Chilling’: Pak Opposition Leader

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif called the incident "bone-chilling".

"Reversal of extremism in society should be a national cause that requires concerted efforts from all. The present situation can't be allowed to persist," he said.

"A public dialogue can be the first step in the process of deradicalisation," he added.

The country’s human rights minister Shireen Mazari condemned the lynching and said that the government must take action against the police that watched it happen.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday took notice of the incident and said "zero tolerance" would be shown.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said he had "repeatedly pointed out" the destructive extremist elements present in the education system.

"This problem is one of rule of law and one of social decline as well. Be prepared for great destruction if the school, police station and pulpit are not reformed," he warned.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday took notice of the incident and said "zero tolerance" would be shown.

Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi, Special Representative to the Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony, said even if the person had committed any blunder, it was not the responsibility of an individual or public to punish him – it is the state's prerogative.

While addressing a press conference, he said the practice of becoming self-proclaimed judge, claimant and arbiter in such cases could not be tolerated. He informed that Paigham-e-Pakistan Peace Committees were being constituted to resolve such issues immediately at the grassroots level.

He also added that the person who was killed in the Tulamba incident was mentally ill.

“This is not the religion of my Prophet, to kill people under your own interpretation of religion,” he said.

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from news and world

Topics:  Pakistan   Imran Khan   Lynching 

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
3 months
12 months
12 months
Check Member Benefits
Read More
×
×