Peshawar: Pakistani police arrested a Chinese national on blasphemy charges after he allegedly insulted Islam and the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), authorities said Monday. Under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, a conviction for the offense carries the death penalty.
Police identified the man only as Tian from China and said he was arrested on Sunday night, hours after hundreds of residents and labourers working on a dam project blocked a key highway and rallied to demand his arrest.
The rally took place in the town of Komela — located close to the site of the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan — in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, according to local police chief Naseer Khan.
Khan said officers quickly responded to the protests by “rescuing and arresting” the Chinese national, who was later transported to the northwestern city of Abbottabad by an army helicopter because of concerns he could be attacked by residents. Khan said security for other Chinese engineers and construction workers had further been beefed up in the town, where the situation was calm after the man’s arrest.
According to Khan, the accusations arose from a workplace disagreement: Tian allegedly became upset and reprimanded two local drivers for taking too much time from work to pray. Other labourers then claimed he had insulted the prophet.
Police said Tian, who was in charge of heavy transport at the project, will be tried under blasphemy laws if investigators prove he insulted Islam. There was no immediate comment from the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad.
The blocked highway later reopened to traffic and work resumed at the Dasu Dam, which has scores of Chinese and hundreds of Pakistanis working on the project, Khan said.
Mob attacks on people accused of blasphemy and even lynching attacks are common in Pakistan. Rights groups say blasphemy accusations have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and settle personal scores.
Videos circulating on social media showed an angry mob demonstrating outside a sprawling compound housing Chinese and Pakistani construction workers in Komela.
Although arrests of Muslims and non-Muslims on charges of blasphemy are common in Pakistan, foreigners are rarely among those arrested.
In July 2021, work on the Dasu Dam was suspended for several months following a deadly suicide attack targeting a bus carrying Chinese and Pakistani nationals in Kohistan district, where the dam is located. The bombing killed 13 people, including nine Chinese nationals.
The Chinese resumed work on the project last year, when Pakistan enhanced security. Pakistani and Chinese engineers are trying to complete the project by 2026.
