PAKISTAN Mohammad Ismail, last victim – lynched and burned

The man was on vacation in Swat, the police arrested him for burning pages of the Koran. A mob broke into the barracks and massacred him. The activist accuses Pakistan of being “a barbaric state” and the authorities of “maintaining silence.” Naveed Walter: “No one is safe anymore.” Nazir Masih’s wife also died as a result of the trauma. Christians flee in Sialkot.

Swat () – A new tragedy linked to blasphemy laws has unfolded in recent days in Pakistan, where cases of lynching at the hands of mobs and perpetrated in the name of religion are increasingly frequent, amid of the impunity of the government and the silence of the international community. The latest episode in a series of systematic attacks occurred on the night of June 20 in Swat; The victim’s name is Mohammad Ismail and he was in the holiday area when he was attacked and burned alive accused of burning pages of the Koran.

This is an emblematic case, which shows that in Pakistan there is no “strong” State capable of guaranteeing security. On the contrary, power groups prevail whose violent ideology contributes to the spiral of innocent victims: Mashal Khan, Shama and Shahzad, Priyantha Kumara, Nazir Masih and Mohammad Ismail. Allah Rakhi, wife of the Christian, has been added to this long list in the last few hours. Nazir Masih72 years old, who died as a result of the trauma suffered in the attack in which her husband died.

There have been dozens of cases of lynching at the hands of mobs, behind which there are false and misleading accusations of blasphemy, a norm that has been used since 1987 to resolve personal affairs, revenge and extrajudicial murders or to hit religious minorities, from Christians to Ahmadis. Muhammad Ismail (pictured) had been accused of blasphemy for burning Arabic newspapers and arrested by police. An angry mob stormed the Madyan Swat barracks demanding that officers hand over the man to be executed on the spot. When he refused, a group of people broke in and, after injuring some police officers and damaging the facilities, took him out of his cell and then lynched him and burned him alive, shouting extremist slogans.

Aamir Kakkazai, writer and researcher, explains to that “Pakistan is becoming a barbaric state. Unfortunately, the state authorities remain silent and seem confused about this whole matter.” Or, even worse, they show that they are “afraid” or that “they are not interested in solving the problem of religious extremism.” “Islamic fundamentalists and right-wing political parties in Pakistan – he continues – have always tried to turn this democratic and modern country into a barbaric state, where an atmosphere of intolerance, violence and punishment of ordinary people reigns in the name of religion.” And behind this violence, he concludes, which has turned “our society into an extermination camp,” is “the misuse of blasphemy laws,” fueling a climate of “anarchy and total chaos.” Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan (Hrfp), adds that the accusation of blasphemy against innocent people has reached such a level that “no one is safe anymore, since anyone can be accused by anyone anywhere in Pakistan.” In the Swat Valley,” he explains, “not only will tourism suffer, but the pressure from radicals will increase. “Silence on these issues is an encouragement to accusers and aggressors.”

Also on June 20, another controversial incident involving blasphemy laws occurred. In Kaanpur, Sialkot district, Waseem Masih (a Christian) had started a small business with an imam of the local village mosque on the occasion of the Eid festival, investing Rs 15,000 given to the Islamic cleric as an advance. He took the money by tricking him and, when asked to return it, he announced over the mosque’s loudspeaker that Waseem had committed blasphemy. The villagers gathered and tried to catch him, but he managed to flee the village and is now hiding in a safe place. However, among Christian families they are scared and fear being attacked, so they have begun to evacuate their homes.