Thursday, April 21, 2005
Mob kill man declared 'infidel' by cleric
Indo-Asian News Service
Peshawar, April 21, 2005
A cleric in a Pakistani province that is ruled by an alliance of six religious parties declared a man accused of blasphemy an infidel who was then set upon by a mob and killed, police said.
The incident occurred Wednesday in Nowshera district of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) after Ashiq Nabi of Spin Khak village had allegedly desecrated the Quran following a quarrel with his wife Monday.
During the quarrel, Ashiq's wife brought out the holy book for him to swear by. Ashiq, however, hurled it away and stormed out of the house, Dawn reported Thursday.
Police filed a blasphemy case on Monday on a complaint of Ashiq's uncle, Janab Shah. Ashiq's wife recorded her statement as a witness in the case. The police had been looking for Ashiq for two days, but before they could reach him, a mob of around 400 people had cornered him and killed him.
Witnesses said Ashiq had begged for his life and while trying to escape, managed to climb a tree. But the mob chased him and someone shot him.
Ashiq's family refused to accept his body, saying he had been declared an infidel. The police then sent the body to a mortuary.
The police are now looking for the cleric who passed the verdict against Ashiq.
"We don't know who that maulvi was. We are collecting information about him and we intend to arrest him," Nowshera police chief Mazharul Haq said.
The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) rules NWFP. The provincial legislature had passed a resolution two years ago saying it would be governed according to Shariat laws.
The MMA is the principal opposition grouping in the Pakistani parliament. It has often been accused of conniving with the country's ruling Pakistan Muslim League, earning it the derisive sobriquet of Mullah Military Alliance.
© HT Media Ltd. 2004.