Home Latest News Chinese Man Arrested for Alleged Blasphemy Granted Bail

Chinese Man Arrested for Alleged Blasphemy Granted Bail

During proceedings, judge rules case appears to be have been caused by a ‘misunderstanding’ and there is no reasonable ground for the allegations

by Staff Report

File photo of Tian after he was arrested by police

Chinese national Tian, who was arrested for alleged blasphemy earlier this month, was granted bail by an anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad on Thursday and shifted to an undisclosed location.

Atif Khan Jadoon, the lawyer for the accused, said Tian had been granted bail against a surety bond of Rs. 200,000.

Tian, employed for the Dasu Dam project, had been detained by police in mid-April after locals accused him of insulting Islam. According to locals, a crowd of hundreds had gathered and demanded his arrest after he was accused of blasphemy for criticizing two drivers working on the dam. The drivers, reportedly, were taking too long to pray during work hours.

In an earlier court appearance, Tian had pleaded not guilty, insisting that he had not committed any blasphemy and the allegations were a result of a translation error. According to the Associated Press, the accused was briefly hospitalized on April 17—a day after he was arrested—after stating he was feeling unwell.

Police have maintained that Tian was placed in “protective custody” because they feared he would be attacked by locals. During proceedings, the judge noted that the men who had accused Tian of blasphemy had failed to provide any evidence to support their allegations, adding that an investigation had found that the translator was not within close proximity of the accused and had merely “assumed” that he had blasphemed.

He further ruled that the case did not come within the ambit of “reasonable ground” as the blasphemy charge was the “result of a misunderstanding.”

While blasphemy accusations are commonplace within Pakistan—with critics noting that they are often used to settle personal enmities—it is rare for foreigners to be charged under the controversial laws. In 2021, a mob in Sialkot lynched a Sri Lankan man and desecrated his body over allegations that he had torn down posters bearing the name of Islam’s Prophet. At the time, the government had vowed to ensure all instigators would be punished, and defended the blasphemy laws as a means to prevent such occurrences by allowing people to resolve their complaints in courts.

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