Arifwala tense after man accused of ‘desecration’
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SAHIWAL: Tension gripped Arifwala city on Wednesday, after a man allegedly desecrated the Holy Quran in its Muzaffarabad locality.
According to local sources, Sabir, a resident of Muzaffarabad locality was accused by his sisters of burning pages of the holy book on the advice of a practitioner of black magic to bring back his estranged wife.
Soon, the news spread in the city, prompting groups of protesters to burn tyres on main roads, intersections and markets, the sources said.
They said an angry mob also stopped the Karachi-bound Farid Express at the local railway station.
Pakpattan District Police Officer Shah Nawaz Sandhela told Dawn that on being informed of the incident, police immediately took the suspect into custody and shifted him to an undisclosed location.
Arifwala city police station SHO Nisar Munjh remained tight-lipped about the incident.
Mian Arshad, owner of a shop in a local market, Resham Gali, said all the main markets in the city were closed in protest against the incident.
Meanwhile, the protesters, mostly from religious seminaries, and traders gathered in different bazaars where they forced shops to close. They demanded the suspect be handed over to them.
Police mobiles were patrolling the main bazaars to avert any untoward incident, the sources said.
It is learnt that city police have registered an FIR under Section 295-D of the Pakistan Penal Code against the suspect.
Published in Dawn, August 13th, 2015
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Comments (43) Closed
Aug 13, 2015 08:57am
Sounds like the sisters are not happy that he is trying to make up with his wife, so they made up a story that is sure to capture the attention of the foolish mob.
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Aug 13, 2015 11:19am
Such people need help not punishment, period!
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Aug 13, 2015 11:22am
Blind Superstition v/s Mob Justice. What can be worse
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Aug 13, 2015 11:27am
People from stone ages! Good work done by police,State should play its role as well.
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Aug 13, 2015 11:30am
"Mian Arshad, owner of a shop in a local market, Resham Gali, said all the main markets in the city were closed in protest against the incident."
Did they shut down their markets in protest against the Kasur child molestation tragedy?
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Aug 13, 2015 11:54am
But why burn tires?? It releases poisonous gases in Air. Our cities are already polluted enough. I guess the feel quite holly while doing this also ??
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Aug 13, 2015 12:01pm
This is my friend are uneducated people in Pakistan making things worse to worst. Pakistan will never develop as a country unless these people goto schools.
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Aug 13, 2015 12:17pm
One should respect the holy book. Verses and their translation should not be printed or published on leaflets and newspapers also as they are not taken care of properly.
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Aug 13, 2015 01:01pm
What is 295-D? There is no such thing as 295-D - I'd think that the FIR against the suspect must have been filed under section 295-B of the Pakistan Penal Code.
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Aug 13, 2015 01:21pm
Sick society
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Aug 13, 2015 01:21pm
I find each and every posts here very sensible.
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Aug 13, 2015 01:25pm
""accused by his sisters of burning pages of the holy book on the advice of a practitioner of black magic to bring back his estranged wife."
Stop trains, shut shops and disrupt civil life. What LOGIC we have.
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Aug 13, 2015 01:44pm
Here we go again. Any guesses what will be the outcome this time?
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Aug 13, 2015 02:25pm
education can make a big difference in people behaviour
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Aug 13, 2015 02:44pm
Disrespecting the Qoran is certainly a punishable crime. A muslim can never tolerate such action whosoever commits
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Aug 13, 2015 02:45pm
@
You are right, Sui Bono, The ruling group do not want education for the people. They are happy to send their children to the fancy schools. This lack of education system is by design not an accident.
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Aug 13, 2015 03:00pm
Jahil people, do they really think that they are doing good to Islam or doing it mindlessly? I think the later. I am sure sisters don't want him to patch up with his wife and did this. How cruel. He is dead man walking.
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Aug 13, 2015 03:11pm
Seems his sisters were not happy with his wife and decided to use blasphemy Law for revenge. So it is an example how This Law bring misused.
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Aug 13, 2015 03:13pm
What a pity but not surprising because such magicians and their followers can be found in countless numbers in the rural areas of all the provinces of Pakistan, especially Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh. To eliminate such anti-social elements from the country, police need to be honest and unbiased. When the policing system becomes transparent, active and honest, the country will be rid of all the evils.
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Aug 13, 2015 03:14pm
Oh God! not again... please stop this nonsense.
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Aug 13, 2015 03:41pm
Majority of our people need help in this regard and not punishment. This all is result of ignorance and illeteracy. Govt is responsible for such incidents as govt deliberately keep people ignorant. Our society needs change otherwise it will get more worse.
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Aug 13, 2015 03:44pm
this is ridiculous how people are willing to close a city and be ready to resort to violence on a mere allegation, why dont they get this angry when children are raped and poor people go hungry
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Aug 13, 2015 04:09pm
@Just_asf@hotmail.com Fist it needs to be investigated. In Pakistan very few speak the truth, did the police find the evidence or did everything went berserk because the sisters said so. Did the sisters have any feud against their brother or ex-sister-in-law? We do not need to behave like savages, let the law take its course.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:10pm
The Jamboree again! At this rate, Pak will be in stone age pretty soon, if not already there
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Aug 13, 2015 04:15pm
Why such incidents happen only in Punjab?
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Aug 13, 2015 04:27pm
80% of the time these allegations are made up by local clergy. We must protect minorities from lynch-pins
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Aug 13, 2015 04:32pm
The westerners joke about muslims that you don't need guns or missiles to fight muslim countries. Just accuse someone with blasphemy or make a cartoon and they will self destruct. Muslims need to understand that god can take care of his/her own affairs.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:41pm
Some one said something and here we go with mob violence, get a life people. there is no job, so people waiting for any kind of sensational news.
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Aug 13, 2015 04:51pm
It is surprising that nobody has even talked about the instigator, the abominable practitioner of black magic on whose advice the man committed the sacrilegious crime! He should have been the first to be booked for the crime.
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Aug 13, 2015 06:38pm
It makes me sad to read this. Incidents like this create message in Western world that Muslims are always getting angry for something or other.
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Aug 13, 2015 07:06pm
Here we go again.
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Aug 13, 2015 07:06pm
This law need to be changed in Pakistan.
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Aug 13, 2015 07:28pm
The crowd could quietly come to the police station and file a complaint against the offender. Why the heck should they burn tyres, and stop trains. Did the tyres and the train belong to the suspect?
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Aug 13, 2015 07:32pm
This is what contagious mental illness looks like...afflicts almost the whole country.
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Aug 13, 2015 07:42pm
When will sanity prevails in the country I reckon. The guy has been in custody yet tyres burned, streets blocked, shops closed, transport disrupted. Irradiate illiteracy for sense and sensibility to prevail.
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Aug 13, 2015 07:46pm
Why tyre burning? When country will get rid of these meaningless futile exercise?
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Aug 13, 2015 07:54pm
Same old story. Sisters and the mullahs should be taken to task.
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Aug 13, 2015 07:59pm
This guy needs medical treatment not burning at stake.
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Aug 13, 2015 08:07pm
Gosh!! I thought it would be a small group of people. That is a big crowd.
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Aug 14, 2015 02:07am
In future first catch the accuser, and if caught to be false. Send them to jail for 10 years.
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Aug 14, 2015 05:45am
Sisters vs sister in law. Wonder who will win.
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Aug 14, 2015 09:44am
Don't these 30 people or more have jobs and businesses? Please teach them to 'mind their own business' so Pakistna's economy can grow --instead of fueling evermore rumours and mob thuggery!
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Aug 15, 2015 02:49am
@badshah Yes, its true. My point and suggestion to the Govt is to ban such magicians who misguide such uneducated people. With this action many other untoward incidents can be avoided. After all, we have an army of security personnels who may easily identify magicians and force them to adopt a reasonable profession.
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