A young man was lynched and his body set on fire by a mob in Madyan, Swat, a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Thursday night over alleged desecration of the holy Quran. This incident received significant coverage from media outlets in various countries, including India.
It is reported that the deceased was a tourist named Muhammad Ismail, son of Qamar Aziz, from the Sialkot area of Punjab. Ismail had come to Swat for tourism during the Eid holidays, but the reasons behind the alleged burning of pages from the holy Quran are yet to be investigated.
According to reports, after the alleged desecration incident, the police arrested Ismail and took him to the police station. However, an angry mob attacked the police station, snatched the accused from custody, lynched him on the road, and later set his body on fire.
Violent incidents related to blasphemy charges have been occurring in Pakistan for many years. In February 2023, a man facing blasphemy charges was lynched by angry mobs in Warburton, Nankana Sahib.
In August 2023, following allegations of Quran blasphemy, there were attacks on Christian communities in Jaranwala, where mobs set fire to and vandalized 19 churches and Christian places of worship, as well as 86 houses. In December 2021, a Sri Lankan citizen was lynched by a mob in Sialkot on charges of blasphemy. In 2017, a young student named Mashaal Khan was lynched by angry individuals in Mardan.
