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A video circulating on social media showed a mob carrying the body of a man through the streets before setting it on fire. Police confirmed that locals burned the tourist and that 11 people were injured in the incident, including eight police officers, according to Index.hr.
Tourists flee the city
Malankand district police chief Mohammad Ali Gandapur accused a local mosque of inciting violence after police carried out the first rescue of a man who was said to have visited the popular summer tourist destination of Swat Valley.
A police officer in the Swat region told the BBC that police tried to clear blocked roads and disperse angry crowds yesterday evening. Authorities have filed cases against hundreds of people involved in the incident, some as young as 13. Hotels in the city were full before the incident, but now tourists are trying to leave the area.
Blasphemy is punishable by death
Lynchings for blasphemy are not uncommon in Pakistan. Last month, a Christian man was attacked after he was accused of burning a Quran. He died shortly after the attack. Pakistan declared blasphemy a crime punishable by death in the 1980s.
Unfounded accusations could also fuel anger among locals. Human rights groups point out that members of minority groups are often accused of blasphemy. About 96 percent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim.
Daily News
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