ISLAMABAD (AP) — Police in Pakistan say a Muslim mob has beaten to death a Christian couple and burned their bodies in a brick kiln where they worked over them allegedly desecrating the Quran.
Tuesday’s slaying is the latest targeting minorities in Pakistan who allegedly committed blasphemy.
Local police officer Mohammed Pervez says Tuesday’s attack took place in the town of Kot Radha Kishan in eastern Punjab province.
Pervez said officers were trying arrest those involved. He declined to elaborate.
Shahbaz Sharif, the top elected official in the province, has ordered a probe into the incident.
Under Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws, anyone accused of insulting Islam or the Prophet Muhammad can be sentenced to death. However, the laws are often misused to settle personal scores and target minorities.
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