Blasphemy Accusation: Chinese Worker in Custody After Being Attacked by Mob

• A Chinese man was booked on blasphemy charges in the Upper Kohistan district.
• The incident occurred at the Dasu hydropower project.
• An Ulema Committee has been set up in an attempt to defuse the situation.

A Chinese national working at the Dasu hydropower project in Pakistan was taken into police custody on Monday following unrest after laborers at the dam site accused him of making blasphemous remarks during a heated argument.

The man was booked on blasphemy charges in the Upper Kohistan district and sent to prison on a 14-day judicial remand by an Abbottabad anti-terrorism court on Monday. The district police officer in Upper Kohistan said that the foreign suspect was arrested under blasphemy and terrorism charges and was airlifted to Abbottabad to present him before the anti-terrorism court.

The suspect was later produced before the ATC amid strict security measures and was moved to Islamabad on Monday evening. The incident occurred at the Dasu hydropower project where a Chinese national was taken into police custody on blasphemy charges after laborers at the dam site accused him of making blasphemous remarks during an argument.

The man was booked on blasphemy and terrorism charges and sent to prison on a 14-day judicial remand by an Abbottabad anti-terrorism court. The incident was reportedly triggered by an argument over prayer breaks, during which the Chinese national complained to workers about losing “precious time” due to prayer breaks.

Enraged workers fanned out to nearby villages, whipping up emotions and blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH), threatening to storm the Dasu Hydropower Project site if the Chinese man was not arrested. The incident led to the filing of an FIR under Sections 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 6/7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

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It is reported that a committee of Ulema from nearby towns and villages has been set up in an attempt to defuse the situation surrounding the arrest of a Chinese national on blasphemy charges. The committee meeting was attended by Upper Kohistan Deputy Commissioner Irfanullah Mehsood and District Police Officer Mohammad Khalid, who urged protestors not to take the law into their own hands. The General Manager of the Dasu hydropower project, Anwarul Haq, said that the situation was normal, but work had been suspended due to the protests.