© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
A woman in Pakistan’s Lahore was saved by the police on Sunday from an angry mob in a crowded marketplace that accused her of blasphemy after mistaking the words printed on her dress for verses from the Quran.
As hundreds gathered outside a shop in Ichra Bazaar accusing her of blasphemy, she was saved by the police who escorted her to safety. Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, and such allegations have resulted in several instances of brutal public lynchings in the past.
Videos, which are being widely shared on social media, show the woman wearing a white dress with a multi-coloured Arabic calligraphy print on it inside a shop.
According to the Dawn, as a charged mob gathered, a shopkeeper who knew that such prints were in fashion and were not related to religion sheltered her in his shop and tried to convince the crowd. The Dawn reported even though the woman denied allegations that she had committed blasphemy and said the clothing with Arabic calligraphy was commonly worn in Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, several members of the mob remained unconvinced.
As the situation escalated, a trader called the police. A team of police officers that arrived at the shop ascertained that the blasphemy charge was unwarranted, controlled the crowd, and took away the woman under heavy protection, added the report.
In a video shared by Punjab Police on X, Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, ASP, Gulber Circle, is seen addressing the crowd of men, trying to defuse the situation. “During my service, I have handled three such incidents, and you should have trust in us [police],” she said, before escorting the woman in a black robe.
Police officers armed with lathis and shields, and wearing helmets are also seen accompanying Bano and the woman in the video. The woman was then taken into protective custody and shifted to a police station, as per the report.
In a statement, the woman strongly rejected allegations that she had committed blasphemy and said she could not even think of disrespecting Islam as she was from a religious family, according to the Dawn report.
