Chinese man charged with blasphemy in Pakistan

An angry mob stormed a police station in Pakistan on Monday after the local police arrested a Chinese national over suspicions he had insulted Islam.

The man was identified only as "Mr. Tian."

On Sunday, a crowd of workers blocked a key highway in the town of Komela, close to the site of Dasu dam where Tian was working, demanding his arrest.

Hundreds of workers then broke into the police station, believing that the man was hiding inside. But an army helicopter took the man to a safer location as police feared that he could be attacked by the mob.

"The mob dispersed only after they were shown a copy of the case registered on blasphemy charges," police official Naseer-ud-Din Khan said.

Under Pakistani law, a conviction of blasphemy can be punishable by death.

Why was the blasphemy accusation made?

The accusations stemmed from a disagreement on the dam construction site, which houses both Pakistani and Chinese workers. The dam is the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan.

The accused pointed out the "slow pace of work" during the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, a police official told AFP news agency.

"The laborers said they were fasting but denied that work had slowed down, which led to an exchange of heated words," according to the unnamed source.

Later workers also claimed Tian had made blasphemous remarks and insulted the Prophet Muhammad, according to the official. 

Social media videos showed the mob chanting "God is great" as police fired shots in the air to disperse the crowd.

Police said that Tian will be tried under blasphemy laws if investigators prove he insulted Islam. The Chinese Embassy in Islamabad did not respond immediately to the arrest.

Pakistan's blasphemy law

Although no one has been executed for blasphemy charges in Pakistan, attacks on those accused and even lynchings are common.

In 2021, a mob lynched and beat to death a Sri Lankan factor manager over allegations that he tore down posters bearing the name of the Prophet Muhammad.

Human rights groups believe that blasphemy laws are especially dangerous, and most accusers use these claims to settle personal disputes and intimidate religious minorities.

The charges on Monday came days after Punjab police arrested a Muslim woman last week for blasphemy after she claimed she was an Islamic prophet.

vh/dj (Reuters, AP, AFP)