A Chinese engineer who is being held in jail on a 14-day judicial remand for blasphemy charges in Pakistan was brought before the court late on Monday.
The Chinese engineer claimed he had been wrongly accused of blasphemy when he was taken before the court, according to the police. He allegedly claimed that the reason the government withheld his identity was out of fear for his safety.
But according to a report from China’s foreign ministry on Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan is investigating the circumstances surrounding a Chinese national jailed on blasphemy-related charges.
A Chinese engineer was reportedly jailed for allegedly insulting Islam, according to authorities in northwest Pakistan, who confirmed this yesterday. This put an end to the ferocious protests against the foreigner that had started overnight.
The detainee was identified by the authorities as “Mr. Tian,” the chief of heavy transport for the China Gezhouba Group Company working on the Dasu hydropower project, around 350 kilometres north of Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.
The dispute began on Saturday when the Chinese manager made an effort to pressure his local driving staff to work more quickly as they were all gathered in workplace prayer.
Official police complaint stated that the man “continued to make insulting remarks and derogatory gestures to disparage Allah and the Prophet of Muslims.”
Blasphemy is a serious crime in Pakistan that carries the death penalty, and mobs routinely beat and occasionally lynch suspects. The accused is usually proven to be innocent.
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