Mob drags out man from Pakistan jail and kills him on charge of blasphemy

Mob storms police station, drags Waris out, and beats him to death

Police officers gather outside a police station in Warburton, an area of district Nankana, on Sunday (AP)

A mob stormed a police station in Pakistan and killed a man suspected of blasphemy while he was in custody, in yet another incident of religion-linked violence in the country.

The victim, identified as Muhammad Waris, was dragged out of the police station in the Nankana Sahib city of eastern Pakistan by the mob, officials said on Saturday.

The man, in his twenties, was reportedly in police custody for desecrating the Quran, the Muslim holy book, according to police spokesperson Muhammad Waqas.

The mob stormed the police station, dragged Waris out, beat him to death and attempted to set his body on fire, Mr Waqas said. “Police could not resist them because a handful of officials were present in the police station,” he said.

However, police reinforcements were able to prevent the mob from setting fire to the body, he said, adding that the police are now preparing to take action against the crowd.

A video of the incident shared on social media and confirmed by police as authentic showed a man being brutally dragged through the streets, stripped naked, and pummelled by sticks and metal rods.

Authorities have said prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken note of the incident in Nankana Sahib and has ordered an investigation.

The government has also suspended a number of police officers due to their inability to stop the mob violence.

Blasphemy is a highly sensitive and incendiary issue in Pakistan, which has frequently led to incidents of mob violence in the past. Under Pakistani law, blasphemy is a capital offence punishable by death. However, the country is yet to carry out a death sentence.

There have been numerous cases of mob vigilantism against people accused of blasphemy, with one of the most high-profile being the murder of a Sri Lankan national, a garment factory manager, in 2021.

Six men were sentenced to death for the murder of the manager in a mass trial involving 89 suspects after the case sparked national and international outrage. However, numerous other cases remain in legal limbo.

International human rights organisations have long chastised Pakistani authorities for failing to do enough to stop blasphemy-related killings. Activists say the law is often used to settle personal scores and intimidate minorities.