A Chinese worker at the Dasu Hydropower Project in Upper Kohistan, Pakistan, was arrested Sunday night after being accused of blasphemy by fellow laborers. Komila SHO Naseeruddin confirmed the arrest and registered a first information report (FIR) against the accused.
The FIR was filed under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code, which deals with derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (Peace be Upon Him).
The complainants, Gulistan and Yasir, are heavy vehicle drivers at the site. After learning of the blasphemy accusation, they alleged that a mob attempted to break into a Chinese camp near Barseen.
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Police arrived at the scene, secured the area, and safely escorted the accused to the Komila police station. Despite this, many protestors gathered and blocked the Karakoram Highway, only dispersing after being assured of the FIR’s registration. Local religious leaders also encouraged the demonstrators to end their protest.
This incident follows similar events in recent months, including the stoning death of a man in Khanewal district in February 2022 and the lynching of a Sri Lankan engineer in Sialkot in December 2021. A January 2022 report by the Centre for Research and Security Studies revealed that 89 citizens were killed in 1,415 blasphemy cases in Pakistan since the country’s independence. The report called for amendments to existing laws to punish those who make false blasphemy accusations.
