Pakistan: Police station attacked amid blasphemy allegations

Okara [Pakistan], July 20 : In Pakistan's Okara district of Punjab province, a total of 18 people were arrested and 134 others were booked for their roles in attacking a police station following an alleged blasphemy incident in Behlolpur village, Dawn reported.
The case has been escalated under the Anti-Terrorism Act and 29 suspects have been identified.
In the recent incident in Behlolpur village, a man allegedly set on fire the pages of the Holy Quran near a mosque, prompting action by police who arrested the suspect and filed a case against him.
Following this, a mob gathered at the police station demanding the suspect be handed over to them. According to reports by Dawn, the situation escalated in an attack on the police station resulting in damage to the building.
To restore order, additional police forces were summoned, and 18 individuals were subsequently arrested based on geo-fencing and other identification methods. Additionally, the incident has led to tensions in the area, with ongoing legal proceedings involving multiple parties.
Numerous cases have been reported from Pakistan where accusations of blasphemy have been manipulated or fabricated for various reasons, leading to severe consequences for those accused. In 2009, Asia Bibi, a Christian woman, was accused of blasphemy after an argument with Muslim coworkers over a water bowl. She was sentenced to death in 2010.
Her conviction was overturned by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in 2018 which cited insufficient evidence.
In the Mashal Khan case of 2017, a mob at Abdul Wali Khan University wrongly accused Mashal Khan of blasphemy, leading to his tragic lynching. Subsequently, multiple individuals were convicted and received death sentences for their roles in his murder.
In 2012, Rimsha Masih, a young Christian girl, faced blasphemy charges after being found near burnt Quran pages. Due to her young age and mental challenges, the charges against her were dropped, and she was granted asylum in Canada in 2016.
Junaid Hafeez, a university lecturer, was detained in 2013 on accusations of blasphemy related to alleged social media posts. His trial has faced numerous delays and challenges, prompting international human rights organizations to advocate for his release.
In the case of Shama and Shehzad in 2014, a Christian couple was accused of blasphemy and subsequently killed by a mob, who then burned their bodies in a brick kiln.
Several individuals involved in their murder were sentenced to death. These cases underscore the serious implications and often deadly consequences of blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, highlighting a need for reforms and protections against misuse of controversial blasphemy laws.