A 35-year-old man arrested over blasphemy allegations was lynched to death when an impassioned mob stormed into a police station in Nankana Sahib where the victim was being held. The victim, identified as Muhammad Waris, was taken into police custody for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran. Overwhelmed by the crowd, the police fled the facility; leaving the victim unprotected after which he was dragged onto the street and bludgeoned to death. Footage from the scene shows hundreds huddled around a police station, with no police officers in sight. If this incident sounds familiar, it’s because it has happened countless times before. In Pakistan, blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue where even the slightest of accusations can stir violence. The incident came two weeks after Pakistan had assured the United Nations Human Rights Council that it was taking steps to counter the misuse of the blasphemy law. Human rights groups, both in and outside Pakistan, have long argued that accusations are often exploited to intimidate people into submission or worse yet, to settle personal vendettas and property issues. But in a society that has grown increasingly averse to religious diversity, minorities continue to be especially vulnerable to the violence that is associated with blasphemy accusations. After the release of Asia Bibi, a watershed moment in the history of blasphemy litigation in Pakistan, it was believed that things would take a turn for the better. But vigilanteism and mob justice continue to prevail with little to no oversight from our legal systems. Even those acquitted of blasphemy charges are forced to the remainder of their lives in shame, demonised by the public. In fact, a large proportion of blasphemy convictions have been made without reasonable doubt with no concrete evidence to support the accusations, perpetuating the idea that anyone can step in and take matters into their own hands. What is often overlooked is that these laws were introduced at a time when the law itself was used not as a necessary disciplinary measure but as an instrument of public control. That legacy continues to haunts us. *