File Photo. Asif Hassan—AFP
Another man injured in shooting days after unrest caused by blasphemy allegations against a third man.
An armed mob shot dead a Hindu man in Sindh province, police said, after a burnt Quran prompted days of religious tension in the area.
Police were patrolling the streets in Ghotki in an effort to halt any further unrest, authorities said on Thursday. “Unknown gunmen yesterday [Wednesday] shot dead an 18-year-old Hindu boy and wounded another,” said senior police official Masood Bangash.
Bangash said another Hindu man was arrested in the town four days earlier after burnt copies of Islam’s holy book were found at the local mosque.
Pakistan has extremely strict laws against blasphemy, including the death penalty for insulting Islam’s Prophet. Even unfounded rumors can stir mob lynchings and violence.
“So far no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting and it is too early to link the killing of Hindu man with the Quran burning incident,” the police official added.
Bangash said that after several days of tension markets have reopened and city life had returned to normal, but police were patrolling the area.
Pakistan is rife with violence against religious minorities, with the Taliban and other militant groups regularly targeting Christian, Sikhs, Hindus, Ahmadi and Shia communities in the country.