NCHR’s research into incidents of mob violence has revealed a trend of religious and sectarian abuse in Pakistan. A few recent events include: 1. In May 2024, in the town of Sargodha a 70-year-old Christian man was attacked and 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. seriously injured by a group of people who accused him of desecrating the Quran. The group started a riot, setting shops on fire and damaging houses belonging to other Christian families in the area. The police managed to control the violence and rescue the accused, but he died from his injuries nine days later.10 In June 2024 a 36-year-old man was killed and his body burned in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after he was accused of desecrating the Quran. Police officials in Swat reported that the man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was a tourist from Sialkot, Punjab, who had been accused of “insulting the Quran”. Officials added that a large group of hundreds of people gathered outside the Madyan police station where the man was being held by police, attacked the premises and dragged the man out before killing him.11 In February 2024 a mob in Punjab accused a woman who wore a dress adorned with Arabic calligraphy of blasphemy after mistaking them for Quranic verses.12 In February 2023 a mob stormed a police station in Nankana Sahib, Punjab where a man accused of desecrating the Holy Quran was being held. The mob vandalized the station and lynched the accused.13 In February 2023 an Ahmadi place of worship in Karachi was vandalized. Unidentified men, chanting slogans against the community, vandalised the minarets of the worship place. A video of the incident that circulated widely on social media, showed policemen deployed outside the site, failing to keep the mob away.14 In February 2023 in Noor Nagar village of District Umerkot in Sindh, several people entered an Ahmadi place of workship by scaling the outer wall and setting fire to the furniture after dousing it with petrol.15 In March 2023 15 students belonging to the Hindu community were injured at the Punjab University when they were celebrating Holi.16 In August 2023 the Christian community in the Jaranwala area of Faisalabad saw their world turn upside down when angry mobs rampaged through their community, torching Churches, houses, and even holy books. Residents of the community had to 10 “Local tourist killed in Pakistan’s Swat over blasphemy allegations,” available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/21/local-tourist-killed-in-pakistans-swat-over-blasphemyallegations#:~:text=Last%20month%2C%20in%20Sargodha%2C%20Punjab,Christian%20families%20in%20the%20area. 11 ibid 12 “Pakistan woman in Arabic script dress saved from mob claiming blasphemy,” available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/worldasia-68399822 13 “Mob storms police station, lynches ‘blasphemy’ accused,” available at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1736708 14 “Ahmadi place of worship vandalised in Karachi,” available at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1766743 15 “A timeline of attacks on religious minorities over the last 12 months,” available at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1770617 16 “15 injured in IJT attack on Holi event at Punjab University,” available at: https://www.dawn.com/news/1740781 10