A Hindu guy in Pakistan’s Punjab province has been arrested for allegedly committing blasphemy by way of making ‘disrespectful’ feedback about Muslim holy puts and shifted to prison to give protection to him from an enraged mob, police mentioned on Monday.
The police took the suspect – recognized as Akbar Ram of West of Rahim Yar Khan district, some 400 kms from provincial capital Lahore – into custody at the criticism filed by way of Faisal Munir, an individual from his space, who produced two witnesses sooner than the police to make a case in opposition to him.
Inspector Safdar Hussain of Kotsamaba Police Station Rahim Yar Khan informed PTI on Monday that police arrested suspect Akbar Ram underneath blasphemy fees on August 11 and instantly shifted him to prison on judicial remand fearing a law-and-order scenario within the village.
“Had we saved the blasphemy suspect within the police station it will have precipitated a law-and-order scenario within the space as he was once accused of wounding the emotions of Muslims,” Hussain mentioned.
Akbar Ram has been booked each underneath blasphemy legislation (295-A of Pakistan Penal Code) and the Punjab Repairs of Public Order Ordinance.
The authentic added that the well timed arrival of police stored the lifetime of Akbar Ram.
“Police reached the village after finding out {that a} Hindu guy had dedicated blasphemy and the folk have been collecting close to his space. Police managed the placement and took Akbar Ram into custody because the mob was once hard that he must be passed over to them,” he mentioned.
In keeping with the FIR, a replica of which is to be had with PTI, complainant Faisal Munir, a motor mechanic by way of occupation, mentioned that he was once provide at his workshop in conjunction with Tahiq Majid and Muhammad Tariq when Akbar Ram got here there and began making feedback disrespectful to Muslim holy puts.
The complainant additional alleged that Akbar Ram sooner than committing blasphemy in entrance of many of us on August 11 extensively utilized to make objectionable feedback about Islam sooner than him.
The members of the family of Akbar Ram have reportedly fled the village after blasphemy fees have been hurled at him to avoid wasting their lives.
Pakistan is without doubt one of the international locations the place blasphemy is punishable by way of loss of life. Blasphemy is a massively delicate factor within the nation, the place even unproven allegations can stir mobs and violence.
In 2021, a Sri Lankan nationwide who was once running as a manufacturing unit supervisor in Punjab province was once killed by way of an offended mob over allegations of blasphemy.
Minorities together with Christians and Hindus in Pakistan have continuously been subjected to blasphemy allegations and a few have been attempted or even sentenced underneath the harsh blasphemy legislation.
In keeping with the Middle for Analysis and Safety Research (CRSS), Pakistan’s blasphemy rules are “arguable” with public opinion in two distinct camps.
One camp believes the rules to be completely crucial and important for the security of Muslims’ sentiments. The opposite view is that the rules are draconic, leveraged by way of vested pursuits to essentially goal minorities, and used to settle non-public vendettas and disputes.
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Aug 14, 2023