Afghan Taliban vow to punish those responsible for lynching woman

Term the act as a conspiracy to mislead people about Islamic injunction

ISLAMABAD: As protests for lynching an Afghan woman over the false accusation of blasphemy in Kabul continue, Afghan Taliban vowed on Tuesday to punish those responsible for her brutal murder.

Farkhunda, 27, was lynched on Thursday by an angry crowd in central Kabul for allegedly burning a copy of Quran.

Terming the act as a conspiracy to mislead people about Islamic injunction, the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said, “It is now proven that it was a conspiracy by few individuals. The Islamic Emirate condemns those who hatched this conspiracy to misuse Quran for killing an innocent human being. We also convey condolences to her family.”

Read: Afghan mob lynches, burns woman to death in Kabul

 



PHOTO: AFP

In a statement issued in Pashto language, the spokesperson said, "We believe that thousands such people have returned to Afghanistan with the American invasion, who are bent upon misleading the people about Islamic injunctions."

Announcing the severe punishment for those involved in the heinous act, the group said the punishment would serve as deterrence against repetition of any such acts.

"We have decided to give severe punishment to those who are behind the killing of the innocent woman, provoked people for their sinister designs, and misused Quran for personal motives to avoid repetition of such incidents in future."

 



PHOTO: AFP

According to Afghan media reports, Farkhunda was killed in the presence of several policemen, who instead of saving the women acted as mere spectators.

In a statement on Sunday, the Afghan interior ministry said 13 police officers had been suspended, including the police chief responsible for the area. More than a dozen other people were arrested over the incident.

 



PHOTO: AFP

Afghan Interior Minister Noorulhaq Ulumi told the parliament on Monday that Farkhunda was innocent.

She was a teacher of Quran and she could not commit such a crime, her family was quoted as saying.

Read: Afghan woman lynched over Quran-burning was innocent: minister