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The rally came about within the city of Komela — positioned near
the location of the Dasu Dam, the most important hydropower undertaking in Pakistan — in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, based on native police chief Naseer Khan.
Khan stated officers shortly responded to the protests by “rescuing and arresting” the Chinese language nationwide. In keeping with Khan, the accusations arose from a office disagreement: Tian allegedly grew to become upset and reprimanded two native drivers for taking an excessive amount of time from work to wish. Different laborers then claimed he had insulted the prophet.
Police stated Tian, who was in command of heavy transport on the undertaking, will probably be tried underneath blasphemy legal guidelines if investigators show he insulted Islam. There was no quick remark from the Chinese language Embassy in Islamabad.
The blocked freeway later reopened to site visitors and work resumed on the Dasu Dam, which has scores of Chinese language and lots of of Pakistanis engaged on the undertaking, Khan stated.
Mob assaults on individuals accused of blasphemy and even lynching assaults are widespread in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim nation. Rights teams say blasphemy accusations have typically been used to intimidate non secular minorities and settle private scores.
Movies circulating on social media confirmed an offended mob demonstrating outdoors a sprawling compound housing Chinese language and Pakistani building employees in Komela. The demonstrators may be heard chanting “God is nice” as safety forces hearth pictures within the air to disperse the crowds.
Though arrests of Muslims and non-Muslims on expenses of blasphemy are widespread in Pakistan, foreigners are not often amongst these arrested.
In 2021, nevertheless, a mob lynched a Sri Lankan man at a sports activities manufacturing facility in jap Punjab province and later burned his physique in public over allegations he desecrated posters bearing the identify of the Prophet Muhammad.
In July 2021, work on the Dasu Dam was suspended for a number of months following a lethal suicide assault concentrating on a bus carrying Chinese language and Pakistani nationals in Kohistan district, the place the dam is positioned. The bombing killed 13 individuals, together with 9 Chinese language nationals.
The Chinese language resumed work on the undertaking final yr, when Pakistan enhanced safety. Pakistani and Chinese language engineers are attempting to finish the undertaking by 2026.
Monday’s developments got here days after police in Punjab arrested a Muslim lady on expenses of blasphemy after she allegedly claimed she was an Islamic prophet. She was taken into custody from her house after a mob had gathered outdoors demanding that she be lynched after information unfold of her alleged claims of prophethood.
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