Chinese National Arrested on Blasphemy Charges in Pakistan – The Diplomat

Pakistani police arrested a Chinese language nationwide on blasphemy prices after he allegedly insulted Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, authorities mentioned Monday. Beneath Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy legal guidelines, the offense carries the loss of life penalty.

Police recognized the person solely as Mr. Tian from China and mentioned he was arrested on Sunday night time, hours after lots of of residents and laborers engaged on a dam challenge blocked a key freeway and rallied to demand his arrest.

The rally occurred within the city of Komela — situated near the location of the Dasu Dam, the most important hydropower challenge in Pakistan — in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, in response to native police chief Naseer Khan.

Khan mentioned officers rapidly responded to the protests by “rescuing and arresting” the Chinese language nationwide. In accordance with Khan, the accusations arose from a office disagreement: Tian allegedly turned upset and reprimanded two native drivers for taking an excessive amount of time from work to hope. Different laborers then claimed he had insulted the prophet.

Police mentioned Tian, who was accountable for heavy transport on the challenge, can be tried underneath blasphemy legal guidelines if investigators show he insulted Islam. There was no rapid remark from the Chinese language Embassy in Islamabad.

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The blocked freeway later reopened to site visitors and work resumed on the Dasu Dam, which has scores of Chinese language and lots of of Pakistanis engaged on the challenge, Khan mentioned.

Mob assaults on folks accused of blasphemy and even lynching assaults are frequent in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim nation. Rights teams say blasphemy accusations have usually been used to intimidate spiritual minorities and settle private scores.

Movies circulating on social media confirmed an indignant mob demonstrating exterior a sprawling compound housing Chinese language and Pakistani development employees in Komela. The demonstrators will be heard chanting “God is nice” as safety forces fireplace pictures within the air to disperse the crowds.

Though arrests of Muslims and non-Muslims on prices of blasphemy are frequent in Pakistan, foreigners are hardly ever amongst these arrested.

In 2021, nonetheless, a mob lynched a Sri Lankan man at a sports activities manufacturing facility in jap Punjab province and later burned his physique in public over allegations he desecrated posters bearing the identify of the Prophet Muhammad.

In July 2021, work on the Dasu Dam was suspended for a number of months following a lethal suicide assault focusing on a bus carrying Chinese language and Pakistani nationals within the Kohistan district, the place the dam is situated. The bombing killed 13 folks, together with 9 Chinese language nationals.

The Chinese language resumed work on the challenge final yr, when Pakistan enhanced safety. Pakistani and Chinese language engineers try to finish the challenge by 2026.

Monday’s developments got here days after Punjab police arrested a Muslim lady on prices of blasphemy after she allegedly claimed she was an Islamic prophet. She was taken into custody from her house after a mob had gathered exterior demanding that she be lynched after information unfold of her alleged claims of prophethood.

In the meantime, a mob of Sunni Muslims demolished a minaret at a mosque belonging to the minority Ahmadis in Sargodha district in Punjab, the minority’s spokesman mentioned.

There are about half 1,000,000 of Ahmadis in Pakistan, which has a inhabitants of 220 million. Pakistan declared Ahmadis non-Muslims in 1974. Ahmadi properties and locations of worship are sometimes focused by Sunni militants who take into account them heretics.

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Amir Mahmood, a spokesman for the Ahmadi neighborhood, mentioned the assault occurred in a single day and allegedly within the presence of police. There was no rapid remark from the police.