Police reported that nine more suspects, including three primary accused, were arrested on Wednesday during various raids related to the Madyan lynching incident.
With these recent arrests, the total number of suspects detained in the case has risen to 32.
District Police Officer Dr. Zahidullah stated that efforts are ongoing to apprehend others involved in the incident. He emphasized that those who took the law into their own hands would face justice. He added that the identification of all unknown persons involved is underway, and they would soon be brought to justice.
On June 20, an enraged mob lynched a tourist accused of blasphemy. The mob attacked and set fire to Madyan police station before taking the tourist away.
TLP Demands Release of Detainees, Threatens Protest
Meanwhile, leaders of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) have warned the district administration and police in Swat to release innocent people arrested in connection with the Madyan mob incident. They threatened nationwide protests if their demand was not met.
Led by TLP Malakand division general secretary Noor Mohammad Noorani, the organization’s office-bearers, including district emir Maulana Sirajuddin, district joint secretary Dr. Aleem Khan, Mufti Kafayatullah, district press secretary Naeem Khan, and Jahan Bahadur, addressed a press conference.
They stated that the tourist was killed by a mob in Madyan due to public anger and reaction as police failed to file an FIR against him. They argued that no blasphemer had been sentenced in Pakistan’s 70-year history and claimed that the blasphemy law was not properly implemented due to rulers’ fear of foreign countries.
They said that weak implementation of the law had led to a loss of trust in the judiciary, administration, and rulers. They asserted that if the judiciary and administration had enforced the blasphemy law and punished the culprits, people would not have taken the law into their own hands.
They held the police and district administration responsible for the Madyan incident, claiming that people were staging a peaceful protest outside the police station. They alleged that police opened fire and injured many protesters. They argued that the mob’s attack on the police station and the killing of the accused were natural human reactions to the situation.
