June 25, 2024
By Saeed Iqbal
SWAT:
On June 18, a tourist from Sialkot arrived in Swat’s district Madyan and rented a room at the Skyways Hotel. Two days later, on June 20, hotel guests began accusing the tourist of burning pages of the Holy Quran. The situation turned dangerous, prompting the accused to leave the hotel and head to the market, where he was surrounded by an angry mob. Police intervened and took the accused to the Madyan police station.
Despite the police intervention, local announcements from mosques and a loudspeaker attached to a car incited a mob to storm the police station. The mob forcibly dragged the accused out of the police station and lynched him. The demonstrators also set fire to nine vehicles at the police station.
Fayyaz Zafar, a journalist based in Swat, told Voicepk that during his investigation, he was unable to find any clear evidence against the accused.
Badshah Hazrat, SP Investigation, stated that a nine-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed to investigate the incident thoroughly.
A report from the agency under the Ministry of Interior highlighted several critical failures. The police’s decision to transfer the accused to the police station without seeking higher authority’s guidance or moving him to a safer location was a significant mistake. The absence of senior police officers and political leaders during the mob attack exacerbated the situation.
Human rights lawyer Zegar Sher condemned the incident, stating that if a crime was committed, the accused should have been brought to justice through proper legal channels, not lynched by an angry mob.
According to reports, the accused, while in police custody, denied any act of blasphemy. Experts call for strict measures to prevent such incidents in the future.