A Chinese engineer in Pakistan has been arrested for blasphemy.
Offensive language that disparaged Allah and Muhammad are said to have been spoken in an angry tirade with employees.
The offence is said to have been committed while Muslims gathered to say prayers during Ramadan.
The Chinese supervisor allegedly used the language while trying to push employees to work faster.
On Monday 17th April a Chinese engineer was arrested for allegedly insulting Islam, ending overnight angry protests that called for legal action against the foreigner.
Police identified the detainee as “Mr. Tian,” head of heavy transport at the China Gezhouba Group Company. He was a Supervisor working at the construction project for Dasu hydropower project about 350 kilometers north of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
It is alleged that On 15th April Mr Tian found many workers resting for afternoon prayer. He is alleged to have become angry and shouted at two drivers telling them that they should be undertaking their regular tasks instead of praying. Mr Tian’s assertion that workers are paid for their work not for prayers lead many workers to become enraged. And they began a protest and involved many local people in that with a mob 0f over 400 rapidly forming, placing Mr Tian in danger. Work at the construction project had to temporarily stop and the mob grew as it travelled to main bazars bringing the whole city to a standstill. The rioters were calling for Mr Tian to be beheaded.
The riotous mob then demanded the arrest of Mr Tian who was arrested and charged under Section 295A of the Pakistan penal code. Police say that this arrest took place for his safety while an investigation ensued but arrested him anyway and used the FIR to quell the anger of the assembled mob.
The demonstrations continued for several hours and only subsided when the Chinese national was taken into custody, and community leaders were assured he would face legal action. Traffic on the busy Karakoram Highway was later also restored.
Within a Police First Information Report (FIR) workers claim that Mr. Tian used blasphemous remarks against the prophet Muhammad and Allah, during his tirade.
As expected at Pakpattan District Court on Monday, Mr.Tian placed on a 14-day judicial remand.
Juliet Chowdhry, Trustee for British Asian Christian Association, said:
“It seems very likely that the allegations of blasphemy are false and a reaction to the offence Muslims took to a non-Muslim being in charge of them.
“This is a common occurrence in Pakistan and one that has led to the imprisonment and death of many non-Muslims.
“The draconian blasphemy laws of Pakistan have long been a tool for discrimination and settling personal vendetta’s, it already documented internationally.
“Unless these utterly condemnable laws are abrogated they will continue to be a burden on justice and equality in Pakistan.”
British Asian Christian Association has been supporting Pakistan’s longest serving blasphemy prisoner Zafar Bhatti. You can learn more about his story (here). We are also supporting several other blasphemy law victims in Pakistan. You can help us continue this support by donating (here).
On Friday 3rd December 2022, a mob of infuriated Muslims lynched a Sri Lankan man named Priyantha Kumara (49 yrs), who was working at a factory on Wazirabad Road, Sialkot. In the heightened frenzy, hundreds of Muslim men kicked and hit the dead body of Mr Kumara, while taking selfies and sharing them on social media. Read more (here)
Rioters burn the body of Priyantha Kumara
Chinese investment into Pakistan has been significant over the last decade .The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC, has brought thousands of Chinese workers and engineers to work on a mega connectivity project (click here).
The 4,300 mega-watt Dasu hydropower project is not part of the CPEC, but Chinese nationals live and work at guarded facilities in the area.
A suicide car bombing targeted a bus convoy transporting Chinese and Pakistani workers to the construction site in 2021. The blast killed nine Chinese and three local workers, the largest loss of life of Chinese citizens in Pakistan in recent years. Initially, Pakistani Authorities denied the attack was a targeted attack (click here)
