Reside
A Chinese language nationwide in Pakistan has denied an accusation of blasphemy leveled by fellow employees on a hydropower mission who mentioned he had insulted the Prophet Muhammad, police mentioned after a court docket remanded him in judicial custody.
Blasphemy is punishable by demise in Pakistan and though nobody has ever been executed for it, quite a few individuals have been lynched by outraged mobs after being accused of it, together with a person in February and a Sri Lankan manufacturing facility supervisor in 2021.
A Pakistani governor and a minister have additionally been shot and killed in recent times for trying to hunt amendments to native blasphemy legal guidelines.
The Chinese language man was introduced earlier than a court docket late on Monday the place he mentioned he had been falsely accused, police official Tahir Ayub informed Reuters.
The court docket despatched the person to jail on judicial remand for 14 days, he mentioned, including that the police weren’t figuring out him for his personal security.
The Chinese language overseas ministry mentioned its mission in Islamabad was verifying the state of affairs concerning its nationwide.
“The Chinese language authorities has at all times required abroad Chinese language residents to abide by the legal guidelines and rules of the host nation and respect native customs,” the ministry’s spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, mentioned at Tuesday’s information briefing.
“If this concern does contain a Chinese language citizen, the embassy will present consular safety and help inside the scope of its duties,” he mentioned.
The alleged insult happened on the website of a hydropower mission within the north-western district of Kohistan on Sunday.
Employees accused the person of utilizing derogatory remarks towards the prophet, police mentioned.
China is a significant ally and investor in Pakistan and its employees have once in a while been attacked by militants preventing the Pakistani authorities.
Islamist militants have been accused of a suicide bomb assault on a bus in 2021 that killed 9 Chinese language nationals engaged on the identical hydropower mission.
“The safety of Chinese language nationals is already fairly excessive and the native administration is doing every part to make sure their security,” mentioned police official Saleem Khan.
Rights teams say accusations of blasphemy are generally made to settle scores and lots of of persons are languishing in jail after being accused of it as judges usually postpone trials, fearing retribution if they’re seen as too lenient.
– Reuters
