Pakistan: Muslims lynch and burn a vacationer, his wife dies in shock – ZENIT

Shafique Khokhar

(ZENIT News – Asia News / Swat, 06.24.2024).- A new tragedy linked to blasphemy has occurred in Pakistan, where cases of lynchings acting with impunity in the name of religion are increasing, in the face of inaction authorities. authorities and the silence of the international community.

The latest incident took place on Wednesday evening in the Swat Valley. The victim, Mohammad Ismail, was on vacation when he was attacked and set on fire for burning pages of the Quran.

Such a story clearly illustrates how the Pakistani state is incapable of ensuring the safety and security of its citizens. Instead, powerful groups rule, their violent ideology contributing to the list of innocent victims, people like Mashal Khan, Shama and Shahzad, Priyantha Kumara, Nazir Masih and now Mohammad Ismail.

Another victim is Allah Rakhi, the widow of Christian Nazir Masih, 72, who died following the traumatic experience of seeing her husband killed.

Since 1987, when blasphemy became a crime, dozens of people have reportedly been lynched by mobs, based on specious accusations used to settle personal scores, take revenge, justify extrajudicial killings and target religious minorities , like Christians and Ahmadis.

In the latter case, police arrested Mohammad Ismail (photo) and charged him with blasphemy for burning Arabic-language newspapers. But an angry crowd went to the Madyan Swat police station to demand that officers hand over the man to be executed on the spot.

When the police refused, a group stormed the police station. After injuring a few officers and vandalizing the premises, they took the victim out of his cell to lynch him and burned him alive while shouting extremist slogans.

“Pakistan is transforming into a barbaric state,” said writer and social media researcher Aamir Kakkazai, speaking to AsiaNews. “Unfortunately, the Pakistani state authorities remain completely silent and confused in the face of all the barbaric incidents committed by Muslim fundamentalists. Either the Pakistani state is afraid or not interested in solving the problem of religious extremism.”

For Kakkazai, “the Muslim fundamentalists and right-wing political parties of Pakistan have always tried to convert this democratic and modern country into a barbaric state”, while maintaining “an atmosphere of intolerance, violence and punishing ordinary people name of religion.

This violence has transformed “our society into a battlefield” due to the “abusive use of blasphemy laws”. This is causing “anarchy” and “total chaos is not far behind,” Kakkazai lamented.

Naveed Walter, who chairs Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), said accusations of blasphemy against innocent people have reached such a level that no one is safe now. Anyone can be accused by anyone, anywhere in Pakistan.

In the Swat Valley, not only will tourism be affected, but pressure from radicals will increase. Silence on such issues is an encouragement to accusers and abusers.

Another controversial incident related to blasphemy laws also took place on Wednesday.

A Christian, Waseem Masih, struck a deal with an imam at the local village mosque of Kaanpur in Sialkot district for the Eid festival, paying the cleric Rs 15,000. When the latter proved renegade, the Christian demanded a refund, whereupon the imam turned on the mosque loudspeaker to accuse Waseem of blasphemy.

The villagers gathered and tried to arrest him, but he managed to escape and is now hiding in a safe place. However, local Christian families are so afraid of being attacked that they have started leaving their homes.

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