Reuters
[Source: Reuters]
When blasphemy allegations against a Christian family prompted a mob of hundreds to assemble in Pakistan’s teeming metropolis Karachi last month, officers knew they might only have minutes to save the four women and one child who were targeted.
Islamic Pakistan has witnessed around 90 blasphemy-linked lynchings since 1990 and many started exactly like this.
But as police officer Sanghaar Ali Malik and his unit confronted the crowd on a narrow street, Malik recalled he sensed a chance to end the situation peacefully.
The deafening chant of “Death to blasphemers!” was in the air, but the main instigators of such riots in the past — Pakistan’s powerful fundamentalist groups — were missing, reflecting a military-led crackdown that has cut registered blasphemy cases by roughly two-thirds this year.
“No religion allows you to take the law into your own hands,” Malik said he told the crowd, quoting verses from the Muslim holy book, the Koran.
Surprisingly, even for himself, Malik said in an interview, the people listened. With no instigators whipping up frenzy, they melted away after being assured that police would investigate the case.
