The lynching of a man in Pakistan’s Swat town was strongly condemned by Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) which also criticized the country’s law enforcement authorities for not doing anything about it.
On Thursday evening, Muhammad Ismail was violently lynched by an angry mob and then burnt alive in Swat.
During Eid holidays, Ismail who had been previously arrested on charges of blasphemy came from Sialkot to stay in Swat for some days.
The victim was lynch, despite being held by police; this further implies that the forces meant to guard him against such acts did not act upon their duty as well, claimed the rights group.
Concerning this matter, HRFP President Naveed Walter observed with great worry that there is now increasing violence over allegations of blasphemy, which has reached a point where one feels that no one is safe anymore.
According to Walter “This culture of accusations can target anyone at any place in Pakistan.”
“Nowadays nobody is safe: innocent people are frequently accused of blasphemy. Conversely, it will be harder for tourism industry in Swat and radical elements will have more support pressurizing” he added,
He spoke out harshly against the police and other security services who allowed Ismail’s murder to occur unimpeded.
In his opinion this silence endorses accusations and attacks thereby emboldening them. Cases like mobs killing people usually leave no room for authority or ordinary person to feel secure.
Moreover, he alluded to broader implications on rule of law governance among others as well as rampant double standards when dealing with sensitive cases such as these.
There is need for immediate reforms including stronger safeguards so that similar tragedies do not happen again warned Walter.
This incident highlights the immediate imperative of tackling the underlying causes of such violent acts and ensuring safety and security for all Pakistani citizens.