Lahore:The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) observed with great alarm that the prevalence of and seeming public tolerance for – mob lynching has risen in recent months. This uptick in vigilantism not only indicates an increasing desensitisation to violence, but also breeds further brutality.

Most recently, the murder of a cleric at a public meeting in Mardan, who was beaten to death by a mob following allegations of blasphemy, is at least the second such incident this year alone. In February, a 45-year-old man was killed by a mob in Nankana Sahib on similar grounds.

Unfortunately, the impunity that has accompanied such incidents betrays a breakdown of the rule of law. Law enforcement authorities are not adequately equipped or trained to contain such flareups or to trace and charge hundreds of perpetrators. This is compounded by the weak response of the political leadership, which appears to lack the political will to take a stand against such atrocities.

The state must devise a strategy to restore public trust in the criminal justice system and uphold the right to due process and fair trial. At the same time, unless the state makes it unequivocally clear that religious extremism will not be tolerated, such incidents will invariably recur.