Dozens held in Pakistan for attempt to lynch brothers accused of blasphemy — police

A policeman detains a man during a protest in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 13, 2021. (AFP/File)

• A mob broke into police station on outskirts of Islamabad on Monday ahead of hours-long standoff with police
• Some 36 have been arrested and charged with attacking the station under anti-terrorism laws

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani police arrested dozens of men on Tuesday on charges of attacking a police station in a bid to lynch two brothers held in custody and accused of desecrating a Muslim mosque, officials said.
A mob broke into the police station on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad on Monday ahead of an hours-long standoff with police.
Some 36 have been arrested and charged with attacking the station under anti-terrorism laws. Police took the brothers, accused of blasphemy, to safety along with some wounded officials, police said.
“Give us the accused. We will decide what to do with them,” police officer Asim Ghaffar quoted the mob as saying. “They said they wanted to behead the accused.”
Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafaat told Reuters most of the 36 arrested men were refugees from neighboring Afghanistan.
The two brothers were accused of allegedly tearing up a banner inscribed with the names of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) from the outer wall of a mosque, police said. They also pelted the mosque with stones, police said.
Insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) or desecrating places of worship carries a mandatory death penalty or life in prison in Pakistan.
A EU parliament resolution adopted last month called for stripping Pakistan of tax exemption on its exports to the bloc for failure to stem a rise in blasphemy accusations. The resolution also called on Pakistan to “unequivocally condemn” incitement to violence and discrimination against religious minorities and expressed “deep concern” at the prevailing anti-French sentiment.
A hard-line religious political group clashed with police last month in several days of violent anti-France protests, calling for the expulsion of the French ambassador over cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) published in France, which killed at least eight police and wounded hundreds.