A Police Station was attacked in Pakistan’s Okara by people after a man was arrested on blasphemy charges. The mob attacked the police station where the man was kept demanding that the accused man be handed over to them. A total of 18 people have been arrested while 134 have been booked by the police in the case.
As per reports, a villager was going through Behlolpur when he saw a man allegedly burning the pages of the Holy Quran along a mosque wall. He informed others about the incident and soon a large crowd assembled at the place. But the police also arrived swiftly and arrested the accused and registered a case against him.
After this, a mob gathered at the police station demanding the suspect be handed over to them. The situation escalated in an attack on the police station by the mob. The police station building was damaged in the attack. The police had to shift the arrested suspect to a safer place to protect him from the mob.
As per the FIR filed on the attack, a mob carrying rods, bricks, stones and weapons gathered outside the police station, chanting slogans against the police. They demanded the handover of the suspect who had allegedly burnt the pages of the Holy Quran. The police assured them that the arrested person will face the law, but the mob didn’t relent.
The mob started hurling stones at the police station, breaking window pans and damaging other items. Forces from nearby police stations had to be called to contain the situation.
As per a report filed by the SHO, 134 people were booked for the attack, and 18 have been arrested. They were arrested after being identified with the help of geo-fencing and other identification methods.
Numerous cases have been reported from Pakistan where accusations of blasphemy have been manipulated or fabricated for various reasons, leading to severe consequences for those accused. In 2009, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, was accused of blasphemy after an argument with Muslim coworkers over a water bowl. She was sentenced to death in 2010.
Her conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2018 which cited insufficient evidence.
In the Mashal Khan case of 2017, a mob at Abdul Wali Khan University wrongly accused Mashal Khan of blasphemy, leading to his tragic lynching. Subsequently, multiple individuals were convicted and received death sentences for their roles in his murder.
In 2012, Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl, faced blasphemy charges after being found near burnt Quran pages. Due to her young age and mental challenges, the charges against her were dropped, and she was granted asylum in Canada in 2016.
Junaid Hafeez, a university lecturer, was detained in 2013 on accusations of blasphemy related to alleged social media posts. His trial has faced numerous delays and challenges, prompting international human rights organizations to advocate for his release.
In the case of Shama and Shehzad in 2014, a Christian couple was accused of blasphemy and subsequently killed by a mob, who then burned their bodies in a brick kiln.
Several individuals involved in their murder were sentenced to death. These cases underscore the serious implications and often deadly consequences of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, highlighting a need for reforms and protections against misuse of controversial blasphemy laws.
