PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Authorities apprehended a man accused of committing blasphemy against the Quran in a highly conservative region of northwestern Pakistan on Tuesday. The arrest followed urgent alerts that a crowd intended to take matters into their own hands and attack him, as reported by local police.
The individual, named Humayun Ullah, was taken into custody in Khazana, a locality situated on the outskirts of Peshawar, the capital city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police officer Nasir Khan indicated that the arrest happened while a mob was attempting to seize him on the street.
Footage circulating on social media depicted a large crowd blocking a roadway close to a police station, vociferously demanding the man’s release to them. Accounts from the scene reported gunfire in the vicinity of the police station, where the suspect was being questioned.
According to Khan, the alleged offense occurred during an altercation between Ullah and his brother at their home, during which derogatory comments regarding the Quran were made. Demonstrators, in response, reportedly hurled stones at the police facility and issued threats to set it ablaze, urging that officers would face harm if the man was not released.
Under Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws, anyone deemed guilty of insulting Islam or its sacred figures can face a death penalty; however, no executions have been carried out for blasphemy-related offenses as of yet.
This incident follows a previous case from two months prior, when police were implicated in the death of a doctor in custody accused of blasphemy in southern Sindh province. The doctor had turned himself in, assured by officers that he would have a chance to prove his innocence.
A grim reminder of the severity surrounding such accusations occurred in November 2021, when a mob set fire to a police station and four additional police posts in the Charsadda district. This violence erupted after authorities refused to hand over a man with mental health issues who was accused of desecrating the Quran.