An angry mob stoned to death in Pakistan a mental patient accused of burning pages of the Koran, authorities said on Sunday, uncovering a new case of blasphemy-related violence.
Dozens of people were arrested following the lynching, which took place on Saturday evening in a remote village in the province of Punjab, said Tahir Ashrafi, the prime minister's special representative for religious harmony.
“
Who could justify the barbaric act of stoning a mentally ill person to death?
Ashrafi lamented at a televised press conference in Khanewal district, where the lynching took place.
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“
This man's family say he was mentally ill and his mental health had been failing for 10 to 15 years
,” he commented.
"
Killing people based on your own interpretation of religion is not my prophet's religion
," he added.
Inquiry at the request of the Prime Minister
Prime Minister Imran Khan said via Twitter that his government has "
zero tolerance for anyone making their own law
", adding that "
mass lynchings will be treated with all the severity provided by law
".
He launched an investigation focusing in particular on the police "
who failed in their duty
".
In Pakistan, the slightest suggestion of an insult to Islam can lead to a lynching.
Civil rights groups say blasphemy charges are often used to settle personal scores and minorities are often targeted.
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This new murder came about two months after a Sri Lankan factory manager also accused of blasphemy was beaten to death and burned by a mob in the town of Sialkot, also in Punjab.
In April 2017, an angry mob killed a student, Mashal Khan, accused of posting profanity online.
And 2014, a Christian couple were burned in an oven in Punjab, after being falsely accused of desecrating the Koran.
