Tag: blasphemy

  • Large mob lynches man over alleged blasphemy, PM Khan condemns

    Large mob lynches man over alleged blasphemy, PM Khan condemns

    A man was brutally tortured and killed by a violent mob when accused of allegedly burning pages of the Holy Quran in a village in Khanewal, Punjab on Saturday.

    The incident took place in a village called Mian Channu after Maghrib prayers. Thousands of people gathered after the announcement was made that a man had torn some of the pages of the Holy Quran and set them on fire in a mosque.

    People were not ready to tho listen to the mentally handicapped man who reportedly claimed innocence. People hanged him on a tree and then threw stones and bricks until he took his last breath.

    Local police came to the spot after receiving a call from a villager. They reached to arrest suspects but villagers started stoning them when they tried to release the man. The violent mob grabbed him from police’s custody and continued beating him.

    The victim’s elder brother revealed that the victim had been mentally ill for about 17 to18 years and was living with another brother in Karachi. He also had remained hospitalised for treatment but he could not recover. His wife also divorced him because of his illness. He had two sons and a daughter.

    He further added, “He went to buy some cigarettes and did not turn up till evening and they later learned that he was killed on blasphemy charges.”

    While talking to Dawn News, he claimed that neighbours also knew about his mental condition. He said that the violent mob stoned his brother to death in the presence of police and they did not protect his brother from the mob. He also complained that his brother’s fingers were missing after the frightful incident.

    Police claimed that they have arrested 85 suspects after they conducted more than 120 raids on Sunday.

    The police have registered two First Investigation Reports (FIR) for alleged blasphemy under Section 295-B of Pakistan Penal Code and the second one related to the lynching under Sections 302, 353, 186, 148, 149 of the PPC and Section 7A of Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

    Also Read: Sri Lankan factory manager tortured to death in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi soon after arriving at Khanewal Circuit House, condemned the incident and said no one should take the law into their hands.

    He emphasised that there are laws to protect religion and against blasphemy. Such matters should be reported to the police and let them proceed under the law.

    Prime Minister, Imran Khan condemned the tragic incident on his Twitter. He ordered a detailed report from the Punjab police chief. He directed authorities to take strict against the perpetrators of the lynching incident.

    Human Rights Minister, Shireen Mazari also condemned the incident and asked the Punjab government to take strict action against the assailants involved.

    Netizens also criticised Mazari for not taking enough efforts to prevent such tragic incidents. They are saying that tweets are not enough to stop such brutality.

    Some users questioned the appreciation award which was given to Shireen Mazari by Prime Minister Imran Khan last week, and how it wasn’t well deserved.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also strongly condemned the incident.

    “The tragedy of Mian Channu has once again humiliated the entire nation,” he said.

    The deceased victim was buried in Mian Channu on Sunday.

  • Court sentences Hindu teacher to life in prison over ‘blasphemy’ charges

    Court sentences Hindu teacher to life in prison over ‘blasphemy’ charges

    A session court sentenced a Hindu teacher, Nautan Lal, to life imprisonment over charges of ‘blasphemy’ in Ghotki, a district in Sindh. He was fined Rs50,000 as well, reports SAMAA News.

    The verdict was announced by the additional session judge, Mumtaz Ali Solangi today. The court took two years to convict Nautan Lal who has been in jail since 2019 as an undertrial prisoner.

    According to the verdict, he is charged with Section 265-H of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

    A case was also registered against Lal under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). He was accused of passing derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet P.B.U.H

    He was sent back to Central jail in Sukkur. His requests for bail have been rejected twice for the past two years.

    In September 2019, a video was circulated across social media in which an intermediate student claimed that the owner of Ghotki’s Sindh Public Higher Secondary School committed blasphemy.

    Member of Jamaat Ahle Sunnat, Mufti Adul Karim Sayeedi registered a blasphemy case against the school owner.

    However, teachers clarified that the Nautan Lal did not teach at the school but he just visited on that day. He used to teach Physics at Government Degree College Ghotki.

    A protest erupted in the town and a violent mob attacked the Hindu Temple in Ghotki and damaged its idols.

  • Pindi woman sentenced to death for blasphemous Whatsapp status

    Pindi woman sentenced to death for blasphemous Whatsapp status

    A 26-year-old Muslim woman in Rawalpindi has been sentenced to death for posting blasphemous material on her WhatsApp status, reports Dawn.

    The court ordered that the woman must be “hanged by her neck till she is dead”. She was also given a 20-year jail sentence and a fine of approximately Rs200,000.

    She was arrested in May 2020 on the complaint of Muhammad Hasnat Farooq in the FIA (Federal Investigation Agency) Cyber Crime Wing.

    According to the United States (US) Commission on International Religious Freedom, up to 80 people are jailed in Pakistan on charges of blasphemy.

    In December, a Sri Lankan factory manager working in Sialkot was beaten to death and later burnt by a mob in broad light after being accused of blasphemy.

  • Man vandalised Hindu temple, charged with blasphemy

    On Monday, a man named Waleed Muhammad Shabeer, who allegedly damaged idols of a Hindu temple in the old area of Narainpura, was booked under Blasphemy Law by the police. Another attacker escaped from the scene. He is booked under section 427 (mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and section 295 of the PPC that deals with blasphemy.

    According to the first information report (FIR), the incident took place at 6:15 pm.

    The complainant and a resident of the area, Mukesh Kumar, said that his wife saw the assailant attacking the idols with a hammer.

    The suspect was surrounded by the people living in the area. The residents handed him over to the police. The residents also protested in the area and in front of the police station.

    They demanded security from the government after the incident took place and chanted slogans against the attackers.

    Narainpur is an old town where Hindu families are predominately living with Muslims.

    Sindh Minister for Minority Affairs, Gyanchand Israni, instructed the police to arrest all accused and said that such incidents would bring unrest in society. “We condemn such attacks,” he said.

    The motive behind the attack is not determined yet. Police have started an investigation and assured the protection for residents of the area.

    The video of broken holy idols was circulating on social media.

    Various activists and politicians condemned the vandalism and requested the government to capture all people included in the attack.

  • Killing over unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations is not permissible: Ulema

    Killing over unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations is not permissible: Ulema

    Pakistani ulema in their Friday sermons strongly condemned the recent lynching of a Sri Lankan national in Sialkot and said the killing of any person over unsubstantiated blasphemy accusations is not permissible.

    The ‘day of condemnation’ was observed in mosques across the country on Friday.

    According to the ulema, the courts have the authority to punish the perpetrator of blasphemy. Taking the law into one’s hands is not allowed according to Shariah and law of the land.

    Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Reli­gious Harmony Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi said the lynching of the Sri Lankan national had embarrassed the entire nation. Elements involved in making blasphemy allegations for their vested objectives would also be punished under the blasphemy law, he added.

  • Indian Swara Bhasker condemns mob lynching incident in Sialkot

    Indian Swara Bhasker condemns mob lynching incident in Sialkot

    Indian actress, Swara Bhasker took to Twitter to share her views on the tragic mob lynching incident of the Sri Lankan national in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy charges.

    She tweeted, “Absolutely sickening and gut-wrenching the madness, brutality, and monstrosity humans unleash in the name of Gods and religion. Horrendous!”

    Swara Bhasker is also working as an activist who raises her voice against Hindu extremists’ atrocities on minorities and lower castes.

    Priyantha Diyawadana, a Sri Lankan national was working as a manager since 2010 in a factory located at Sialkot. He allegedly tore posters off a wall in the factory, which had religious text written on it. After taking down the poster, hundreds of people gathered, dragged him outside, killed him, and then burnt his body on Friday.

    In the video shared on social media, it can be seen that the man’s body was burnt publicly after he was murdered.

    Several Pakistani celebrities including Mahira Khan, Ayesha Omar, and Saba Qamar also expressed their grief and condemned the mob lynching incident on their social media.

  • ‘PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry meeting Saad Rizvi was absurd,’says Fawad

    ‘PTI’s Ejaz Chaudhry meeting Saad Rizvi was absurd,’says Fawad

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry termed the meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Ejaz Chaudhry with Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Saad Husain Rizvi as ‘absurd’.

    While speaking on Aaj News’ political news programme ‘Rubaroo with Shaukat Paracha’, Chaudhry questioned: “I think the manner in which Ejaz Chaudhry Sahib [met] the TLP [leadership] was an absurd act. Why didn’t [he] visit the homes of the policemen who were martyred.”

    “Till the time the state doesn’t stand with its martyrs who else will be their [support],” added Fawad.

    “How can there be consensus? People will only fear for [their lives here],” said Fawad.

    Senator Ejaz had met TLP chief Rizvi last month as a “gesture of goodwill” and to congratulate him on his release from jail. Pictures of Senator Ejaz hugging and presenting a bouquet to Mr Rizvi were widely shared on social media.

  • ‘If state doesn’t take action against those accused of blasphemy, such incidents will happen’: Maulana Fazl

    ‘If state doesn’t take action against those accused of blasphemy, such incidents will happen’: Maulana Fazl

    Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, holding the state responsible for the lynching incident in Sialkot, said, “If the state does not take action against the ones accused of blasphemy then such incidents will happen.”

    Taking his outrage to Twitter, Maulana wrote, “The incident in Sialkot is reprehensible and shameful. There should be a comprehensive investigation.”

    “In the past, there have been similar backlash against government-sponsored fugitives accused of blasphemy,” wrote Maulana.

    “Under the guise of such incidents, the international establishment conspires against the religious class and to make the Islamic provisions of the constitution controversial,” further tweeted Maulana.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal, disagreeing with Maulana Fazl tweeted, “Respectfully Maulana Sahib such incidents should be unconditionally condemned – Islam does not allow such fanaticism and illegal killings by mobs in any case.”

    “The nation expects the scholars to guide the nation in this matter,” tweeted Iqbal.

    Twitterati too reacted to Maulana’s statement.

  • Sri Lankan factory manager tortured to death in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy

    Sri Lankan factory manager tortured to death in Sialkot over alleged blasphemy

    Trigger warning : This article contains graphic content.

    A Sri Lankan factory manager has been tortured to death on the charges of blasphemy. As per social media reports, he was working as a manager at a private sportswear manufacturing factory.

    As per District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Saeed Malik, the man was murdered by factory employees. According to the DPO, the police have arrived at the place of incident.

    In the video shared on social media, it can be seen that the man’s body was burnt publicly after he was murdered.

    According to sources, the Sri Lankan national allegedly tore posters off a wall in the factory, which had religious text written on it. He removed it from the wall as the wall was not a place where posters were allowed. After taking down the poster, hundreds of people gathered, dragged him outside, killed him and then burnt his body.

    His name was Priyantha Diyawadana. He joined the factory in 2010 and has been here since.

    TW: The video contains content that can be disturbing for some viewers.

    https://twitter.com/saboohsyed/status/1466694258199465987?s=21

    According to journalist Rabia Mehmood, “Factory workers Talha, Furhan complained and decided on the spot to kill the SriLankan national.”

    She shared a picture of the two men who claimed to be part of the lynch mob and complained against the manager and then “dragged him out to burn him to death, and are using Tehreek Labbaik’s violence inciting narrative to justify why they did it”.

     Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar have termed the incident as “horrific”. Buzdar has also instructed IG Police to investigate the incident.

    People on social media are condemning the incident:

  • Police arrest four accused of ‘blasphemy’ after argument with Imam

    Police arrest four accused of ‘blasphemy’ after argument with Imam

    Police have arrested four men charged with blasphemy in the village of Khodi Khushal Singh after an argument with a religious cleric (Imam), a local police official Faryad reported to Al Jazeera.

    The initial police report says that men, who were Muslim, argued with the cleric after he refused to make a funeral announcement for a Christian man from his mosque.

    “As soon as they arrived [at the mosque], they started cursing the mosque’s imam, disrespected the mosque, and insulted Islam,” read the report. The four men were charged under sections 295 and 298 of Pakistan’s penal code, which carries penalties of up to two years in prison.

    Pakistani human rights activists have condemned the case against these four men.

    “If there was a Muslim who in good faith wants to have an announcement such as this made in the community, it’s not an attack on someone’s faith, it’s a good cause,” said human rights activist and lawyer Nadeem Anthony. He raised the question that if someone announces a funeral on a loudspeaker, how is it a religious violation?

    Pakistan has never executed a convict under the blasphemy laws, but accusations of the offense have led to murders by individuals who take the law into their own hands. Several months ago, a policeman in Sadiqabad killed a man, who was charged with blasphemy.