Ahsan Iqbal asks parliament to find answer to mob justice

F.P. Report

ISLAMABAD: Ahsan Iqbal, the planning minister, on Saturday condemned the lynching of a man on the charge of blasphemy in Swat.

Parliament, he said, should take notice of “mob justice” which had brought Pakistan to the brink of destruction.

A man was killed by a mob over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in Swat’s Madyan area a few days ago.

Iqbal, who spoke during the budget debate in the National Assembly, lamented that yet another mob lynching incident had taken place in the country. He said similar incidents had happened in Sialkot, Jaranwala and Sargodha and it was alarming that the trend was not being controlled.

He also spoke about an attempt on his life in 2018, saying even now the bullet is in his body.

“We must take notice of this incident as our nation is on the brink. We have now reached a point where we are using religion to justify mob violence and street justice, flagrantly violating the Constitution, the law and the state,” he bemoaned.

He also demanded constitution of a committee to probe these incidents. He also urged religious scholars to play their role in stemming the tide of extremism.

The deputy speaker asked Ahsan Iqbal to consult Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi for formation of a committee.

FIRs LODGED

The Swat police on Friday registered two FIRs against suspects who killed a man in Madyan.

A mob brutally lynched a man inside the Madyan police station on the suspicion of desecration of the Holy Quran. The charged crowd also set fire to the suspect’s body, the police station and a police vehicle.

Last month a man was slain in Sargodha on the allegation of committing blasphemy.