Pakistan court indicts over 100 in Christian couple lynching case

Islamabad, May 21
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan on Thursday indicted 106 people in the case of lynching a Christian couple in Kasur district of Punjab province last year.

On November 4, 2014, Shama and Shehzad were beaten to death by a mob in Kot Radha Kishan area of Kasur over blasphemy allegations and then thrown into the furnace of a brick kiln where the couple worked, reported local media.

On March 9, the apex court had expressed dissatisfaction over the investigation of the Punjab Police and directed the police chief to supervise the investigation himself.

Complying with the order, the Punjab police chief had told the court in the last hearing that a joint investigation team was reconstituted to probe the case.

Sharing the fact-finding committee’s report, the police chief said Assistant Sub Inspector Abdul Rasheed knew the issue of blasphemy accusations was brewing a day before the incident took place, but he kept quiet on the matter and did not bother to inform his senior officers.

However, in compliance of the court’s order, the fact-finding committee was ordered to collect the call data records of all the officers, from the district police officer to the station house officer, to further examine their role in the attack.