A day after a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker was lynched by a mob over allegations of blasphemy in Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), party chairperson Imran Khan and other leaders have failed to condemn the incident.
Cleric Nigar Alam was lynched minutes before the end of a public meeting organised by the PTI at Sawaldher village to show solidarity with the judiciary on Saturday evening.
A video of the lynching was widely circulated on social media platforms in which the cleric could be seen lying on the ground.
Initial reports had suggested the man was lynched for saying that “he respects Imran Khan like he respects prophet”. However, later it was confirmed that he had said this regarding a local Nazim present during the rally. His remarks were interpreted by a section of the crowd to be allegedly blasphemous, who attacked him with sticks and stones.
PTI’s official account has not condemned the incident but the party’s social media teams have been attacking journalists who shared initial reports attributing the cleric’s remarks to the PTI chief for “disinformation”.
Social media users have condemned the PTI leaders for staying “silent” over the incident.
A Twitter user tagged former minister PTI leader Ali Muhammad Khan and criticised him for staying “silent” over the mob lynching.
But in the same Mardan one of your PTI worker has been lynched and killed while you are silent on this incident. pic.twitter.com/rD6VGpRcad
— binameerzada (@kalal911) May 7, 2023
Meanwhile, another Twitter user claimed that PTI’s official and unofficial have been ordered to not tweet about the Mardan incident so they could distance PTI chief Imran Khan from the incident.
“You wont find a single tweet condemning the incident they just out there to clear Khan’s name out of it,” he said.
PTI’s official and unofficial social media teams are ordered to not tweet about Mardan incident cause PTI workers killed a person accusing them of blasphemy. You wont find a single tweet condemning the incident they just out there to clear Khan’s name out of it.
— Anas Tipu (@teepusahab) May 7, 2023
A social media user also called out the PTI chief for “weaponising blasphemy” to target political opponents in a Twitter thread.
This was promotion for Imran Khan’s 27th May 2022 rally where he waved a fake letter and accused all opposition of treason. He used religion and tried to incite blasphemy brigade in run up to that rally.
Thread on how Niazi has weaponised blasphemy 🧵. pic.twitter.com/BgEDLuAPFQ
— Gulfam Butt (@Khanstitution_) May 7, 2023
Journalist Hamza Azhar Salam criticised Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and PTI both for staying silent over the incident.
“Silence from PTI, PMLN & ISPR over the blasphemy lynching in Mardan shows how Pakistan does not have the resolve to deal with religious fanaticism and chooses to ignore mob violence rather than address it,” he said.
Silence from PTI, PMLN & ISPR over the blasphemy lynching in #Mardan shows how #Pakistan does not have the resolve to deal with religious fanaticism and chooses to ignore mob violence rather than address it. We deserve poverty & isolation when we abandon our citizens to mobs.
— Hamza Azhar Salam (@HamzaAzhrSalam) May 7, 2023
 leaders for their "silence" over the lynching of a PTI supporter cleric by party workers for alleged blasphemy during a speech in a rally in Mardan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).){kind=link}