On accusation of burning pages of the Qur’an, an angry mob stoned a man to death

During the funeral of the deceased.

Pakistani authorities announced Sunday the death of a mentally ill man after he was collectively stoned by an angry mob for burning pages of the Qur'an, in a new blasphemy case in the country.

The Special Representative of the Pakistani Prime Minister for Religious Harmony Affairs, Tahir Ashrafi, pointed out that dozens of people were arrested in the wake of the incident that occurred Saturday evening in a remote village in Punjab.

"Who can justify the barbaric act of stoning a mentally ill person to death?" Ashrafi said during a press conference broadcast by TV channels in Khaniwal, where the incident occurred.

He added: "The family of this man says that he is mentally ill and that his mental health has been deteriorating for 10 to 15 years."

He added, "Killing people based on your interpretation of religion is not from the religion of my Prophet."

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Twitter that his government "has zero tolerance for anyone applying their own law", adding that "mass extrajudicial executions will be dealt with with all the severity required by law".

And an investigation was opened, in particular, to policemen who "did not perform their duties."

The new murder came about two months after a Sri Lankan factory manager accused of blasphemy was beaten to death and burned to death by an angry mob in the city of Sialkot, also in Punjab.

In April 2017, an angry mob killed student Mishaal Khan for allegedly posting blasphemous content online.

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