A bank manager was shot dead by its security guard allegedly over blasphemy allegations in Pakistan Punjab’s Khushab district on Wednesday, police and relatives said.

Malik Imran Hanif, the manager of the National Bank of Pakistan branch in Quaidabad tehsil of Khushab, was shifted to a local hospital after he was shot by the guard from a rifle. Due to his critical injuries, he was taken to Lahore where he succumbed to his wounds at the Services Hospital.

Khushab District Police Officer (DPO) retired Capt Tariq Wilayat told Dawn it would be premature to comment on the motive behind the murder, but confirmed that the security guard, who was arrested after the incident, had claimed to have killed Hanif over blasphemy.

In a video of the suspect that was shared on social media, the guard could be heard saying that the deceased manager had “insulted the prophet”. b.

Videos shared on Twitter showed the guard being greeted by a crowd of supporters after killing the manager. The security guard and the mob then raised slogans as they walked on the street.

The suspect was then joined by the leaders of a religious group, all of whom raised slogans and addressed supporters from the rooftop of the Quaidabad Police Station. Police personnel could be seen standing nearby recording videos.

Human rights groups say blasphemy laws (in Pakistan) are often misused to persecute minorities or even against Muslims to settle personal rivalries. Such accusations can end up in lynchings or street vigilantism.

Up to 80 people are known to be imprisoned in the country on such charges — half of whom face life in prison or the death penalty — according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In July, a US citizen of Pakistani origin on trial over blasphemy allegations in Peshawar was shot dead in a courtroom by a teenager who told bystanders he killed him for insulting the Prophet..
https://www.dawn.com/news/1588614/bank-manager-shot-dead-by-security-guard-allegedly-over-blasphemy-in-punjabs-khushab