A policeman shot dead a blasphemy accused at a police station in Quetta city of southwest Pakistan on Thursday. A local official gave this information. The deceased has been identified as Syed Khan. Officials said that the police had rescued the man from the violent mob and took him with them. After that the police arrested him.
People claimed that the man had insulted Prophet Mohammad. According to police officer Mohammad Khurram, the officer involved in the firing has been arrested. Khurram did not give details. Cases of suspects dying in police custody are not common in Pakistan, whereas allegations of blasphemy based on mere rumors are common there and often lead to riots. In such cases, suspects also die at the hands of the mob.
In Khan’s case, local residents claimed that he had made derogatory remarks against the Prophet. Following this, a mob surrounded him. After his arrest, a crowd gathered outside the police station and demanded that the police hand him over to them.
The law for blasphemy in Pakistan is very strict. It provides for the death penalty. Under this law, making derogatory remarks related to Prophet Muhammad or Islam can result in the death penalty. This also includes insulting the Quran. Under this law, insulting through verbal, written, visual, or any kind of accusation, sign can result in death penalty. Many times the accused is killed by the mob. According to local media and researchers, between 1947 and 2021, at least 89 Pakistanis have been killed before the legal process on charges of blasphemy. The highest number of blasphemy cases have been reported in Punjab province.