Swat District, Pakistan — Authorities in northwestern Pakistan reported that an enraged crowd stormed a police station in Swat District on Thursday evening, seized a detainee facing blasphemy charges, and killed him.
The violence erupted in Madian, a popular tourist spot in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, following local announcements that a tourist had desecrated the Quran. The tourist, a resident of Punjab Province visiting Swat Valley, was initially tortured by residents before area police intervened and moved him to their detention facility.
According to Swat police chief Zahidullah Khan, a mob later gathered outside the police station, demanding the man be brought to justice for allegedly insulting Islam’s holy book. Police used aerial fire to disperse the protesters but were unable to prevent them from assaulting and setting fire to the building and police vehicles before taking the suspect away.
“The crowd had also set fire to the suspect’s body after beating him to death,” Khan told local media. He added that the unrest resulted in several injuries.
Videos shared on social media showed a crowd gathered around a burning body in the middle of the street. The authenticity of the footage could not be immediately verified by independent sources.
Local journalist Ehsan Ullah reported that the mob broke down the gate of the police station, poured gasoline on the man, and set him on fire before dragging his lifeless body through the streets. The rioters also burned three police cars and set fire to the police station.
The incident began when some people accused the man of having burned pages of the Quran found in his bag. When it was announced through mosque loudspeakers that a “blasphemer” had been rescued by police, a crowd quickly converged on the police station.
Residents and health authorities reported that police opened fire on the crowd, injuring at least 11 people. Three injured individuals were taken to local hospitals. The police have not commented on the specifics of the accusation.
The situation in and around Madian remains tense. Authorities have invoked Section 144 of Pakistani law to restrict movement and have granted police the authority to shoot violators on sight.
Swat Valley, often referred to as the “Switzerland of Pakistan,” is a frequently visited tourist destination, especially popular in the summer. The tragic incident underscores the volatile nature of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, where mere allegations can lead to deadly mob violence.
Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in majority-Muslim Pakistan, with laws prescribing death for insulting the Quran or Islamic beliefs. Although no one has been officially executed under these laws, many accused individuals have been lynched by mobs.
Human rights groups have long demanded reforms to Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, arguing they are often used to settle personal scores and target religious minorities.
Critics point out that hundreds of suspects, mostly Muslims, remain imprisoned due to fear of retaliation from religious groups, deterring judges from advancing their trials.
This event is similar to the events of May 25, 2024, in Sargodha, where a Christian man in his early 70s was lynched by a mob after being accused of desecrating the Quran.
On August 2023 in Jaranwala, thousands of Muslim protesters attacked a Christian neighborhood, burning 21 churches and numerous properties, over allegations of Quran desecration by two Christian brothers.
