A man in the Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been killed by an angry mob over alleged blasphemy.
The incident occurred during a demonstration held in the Sawaldher area of Mardan to express solidarity with the judiciary.
Sources say that while making the final prayer, Maulana Nigar son of Bacha Gul said some words that were deemed insulting by a majority of the protestors, leading to his torture and death at the hands of the mob.
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Police attempted to intervene by locking the accused in a shop, but the angry mob broke the door and continued their attack. The body of the deceased has been taken into police custody, and an investigation is underway.
Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Azam Khan has described the incident as unpleasant and sad and has urged political meetings to be limited to political statements, avoiding giving religious color to political matters.
He appealed to the people to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, allowing the legal process to take its course. The role of the Ulema is crucial in maintaining peace and order in the aftermath of the incident, and they should play an important role in promoting religious harmony, he added.
It's worth noting that this is not the first time an incident of this nature has occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
In April 2017, a student named Mashal Khan was lynched to death by a mob on the premises of Abdul Wali Khan University in Mardan district over allegations of blasphemy.
The incident sparked outrage across the country and brought into focus the issue of vigilantism and mob violence. The authorities had promised to take measures to prevent such incidents in the future, but unfortunately, it seems that more needs to be done to address the issue.
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18 Apr, 2025