The Chinese language man was produced earlier than a court docket late on Monday. (Representational)
Peshawar, Pakistan:
A Chinese language nationwide in Pakistan has denied an accusation of blasphemy levelled by fellow employees on a hydropower mission who stated he had insulted the Prophet Mohammad, police stated on Tuesday after a court docket remanded him in judicial custody.
Blasphemy is punishable by loss of life in Pakistan and although 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 Sri Lankan manufacturing unit supervisor in 2021.
The Chinese language man was produced earlier than a court docket late on Monday the place he stated 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 stated, including that police weren’t figuring out him for his security.
The Chinese language international ministry stated its mission in Islamabad was verifying the scenario relating to its nationwide.
The alleged insult passed off on the website of a hydropower mission within the northwestern district of Kohistan on Sunday. Employees accused that man of utilizing derogatory remarks towards the prophet, police stated.
China is a significant ally and investor in Pakistan and its employees have every now and then been attacked by militants combating the Pakistani authorities.
Islamist militants had been accused of a suicide bomb assault on a bus in 2021 that killed 9 Chinese language nationwide engaged on the identical hydropower mission.
“The safety of Chinese language nationals is already fairly excessive and the native administration is doing every little thing to make sure their security,” stated police official Saleem Khan.
Rights teams say accusations of blasphemy are typically made to settle scores and a whole lot of persons are languishing in jail after being accused of it as judges usually delay trials fearing retribution if they’re seen as too lenient.
(Apart from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
