IN what could be called another unfortunate and despicable incident, a middle aged mentally ill man was stoned to death by a mob over alleged desecration of the Holy Quran in a remote village of Khanewal District.
The stone-hearted villagers first hanged him with a tree and then hit him with bricks until he died.
Police once again failed to rescue the man despite its presence on the site.
The killing comes on the heels of an identical incident in Sialkot, where a Sri Lankan engineer was lynched by factory workers on December 3 last year on blasphemy charges.
Such incidents are a scar on our society.Nobody has the discretion to take law into their hands, no matter what the reason is, as there is police and judiciary which can be approached for redressal of any grievance in accordance with the law.
Whilst Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again expressed the commitment that the culprits involved in the latest lynching incident will be dealt with full severity of law, about eight seven suspects have also been compounded by the police in raids.
Such barbaric and inhuman acts can only be checked if the culprits are also awarded strict punishment through speedy trials.
Most of the time, it has been observed that arrests are made but then a lot of time is spent in trials which, at the end of the day, also see acquittals.
If required, amendments be made in the relevant laws ensuring that anybody involved in such acts do not escape.
Rather such culprits should be hanged in the open.There should be zero tolerance towards those who show no respect for humanity and law.
At the same time, strict action also needs to be initiated against the police personnel who, despite presence on the site, failed to rescue the man.
This has once again sent a very wrong message that police is incapable to protect the life and property of the people.
This will only further erode their confidence on Police.Responsibility also rests with the religious scholars to play their role for promotion of true teachings of Islam which preaches tolerance and respect for humanity.
