17 more people arrested in lynching in Swat Valley

Peshawar police, with the assistance of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and Special Cell, have arrested 17 more people in connection with the killing of a man accused of blasphemy in Swat Valley.

After today’s arrest, the number of detainees is 23. Action was taken against the suspects in different tehsils of Swat.

Authorities have already launched an investigation to identify and arrest members of the mob that beat a man to death on Thursday night after accusing him of burning pages of the Holy Quran.

The mob also set fire to the police station in the area and injured eight policemen, said Malakand Division Regional Police Chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur. Reuters.

Graphic videos of the latest incident show an angry mob dragging a naked and bloodied corpse through the streets and then setting it on fire. The footage went viral on social media and sparked an outcry among Pakistani users.

The ten-member JIT, comprising officers of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Special Branch and senior police officials and supervised by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Malakand Division, has been set up to investigate the incident.

About 2,000 people are involved in the case. Mobile phone data and the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) will help in their identification.

Preliminary investigation reports indicate that no political or high-ranking figures were present at the crime scene.

Raising the issue of the recent lynching of a man in Swat Valley during a session of the National Assembly on Saturday, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal condemned the gruesome incident and drew the attention of parliamentarians to the problem of misuse of religion to dispense “street justice”.

“Setting someone on fire after killing them is unacceptable,” the minister told parliament, stressing that Islam does not allow the desecration of a person’s body.