Police save blasphemy suspect in Pakistan

May 18, 2021 10:03 pm | Updated 10:03 pm IST - Islamabad

The Pakistani police said on Tuesday they foiled an attempt by a mob to lynch a blasphemy suspect recently arrested on charges of insulting Islam.

The mob stormed the Golra police station on the outskirts of Islamabad on Monday night, after the police refused to hand over the suspect to the crowd outside for punishment, local police chief Asim Ghaffar said.

The suspect, Shaukat Ali, was unharmed while six police officials were slightly injured in the attack, Mr. Ghaffar said. Mr. Ali is accused of sharing anti-Islam content on social media.

Blasphemy carries the death penalty in Pakistan.

A Punjab Governor in Islamabad was shot and killed by his own guard in 2011, after he defended a Christian woman, Asia Bibi, who was accused of blasphemy.

She was acquitted after spending eight years on death row and left Pakistan for Canada to join her family after receiving threats.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.