Chinese national accused of blasphemy sent to jail

PESHAWAR/MANSEHRA: A Chinese national accused of blasphemy was sent on a 14-day judicial remand after he was presented in a court late Monday.

The Chinese man was produced before the court where he said he had been falsely accused, police official Tahir Ayub told Reuters.

The court sent the man to jail on judicial remand for 14 days, he said, adding that police were not identifying him for his safety.

On the other hand, China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday that its embassy in Pakistan is verifying the situation regarding a Chinese national held on blasphemy charges.

The suspect was arrested in the upper Kohistan district on the accusations of making blasphemous remarks, The News reported.

According to District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Khalid, the foreigner was arrested over blasphemy charges and airlifted from the northern area to be produced before an anti-terrorism court.

Charged crowds from villages and towns started rushing towards Kamila Bazaar and blocked the Karakoram Highway to traffic late Sunday night after some Kohistani labourers working at a mega energy project showed up among them and accused the Chinese national of making sacrilegious comments.

A first information report (FIR) of the incident was lodged under sections 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act with Kamila Police Station.

The district administration sought a helicopter from the federal capital to airlift the suspect to Islamabad and then take him to the ATC.

Anwarul Haq, the general manager of the Dasu Hydropower Project, when contacted said that the situation on the ground was normal and things were under control.

Recently in February, a raging mob of hundreds tortured a man to death after snatching him from a police station in Nankana Sahib, where he was locked up for allegedly committing blasphemy.

Similarly, in 2021, a Sri Lankan citizen Priyantha Kumara who worked as a manager at a private factory in Sialkot was beaten to death by a mob after being accused of blasphemy in highly controversial circumstances.

Blasphemy is a sensitive topic in Pakistan. Rights advocates have long been demanding a reform of the controversial blasphemy laws, which were introduced by former president General Ziaul Haq in the 1980s.

(With additional input from Reuters)