Pakistan: Police saves woman from angry crowd as they mistake words on her dress for Quranic verses
Several people tried to attack the woman in a crowded market in Lahore, accusing her of blasphemy.
🚨 LAHORE:
— Azaz Khan 🇵🇰 (@_khanazaz) February 26, 2024
⚡️A woman eating at a restaurant in Ichra Market Lahore has been accused of writing Quranic verses on her clothes.
Police reached on the spot preventing the mob from taking law into their own hands.
The calligraphy on her clothes reads “حلوہ” or “Halwa” meaning… pic.twitter.com/1nyKeUOsaX
A woman was heckled and harassed in market in Lahore, Pakistan (video above) after the Arabic calligraphy on her attire was mistaken for verses from the Quran. The situation turned ugly at Lahore’s Icchra Bazar when people accused her of committing blasphemy, shouted slogans, and tried to attack her. The local police intervened to protect her.
According to a report in Dawn, garment traders who are aware of clothing with Arabic calligraphy being sold in the market sheltered her in a shop. The woman also tried to defend herself in front of the angry crowd, which refused to budge. One of the shopkeepers called the police.
A police team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi arrived at the scene and addressed the mob. “During my service I have handled three such incidents, and you should have trust in us,” she said (video below). The ASP then escorted the woman out of the market.
"ASP Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, the brave SDPO of Gulbarg Lahore, put her life in danger to rescue a woman from a violent crowd. For this heroic deed, the Punjab Police has recommended her name for the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Police Medal (QPM), the highest gallantry award for law… pic.twitter.com/awHaIGVb9l
— Punjab Police Official (@OfficialDPRPP) February 25, 2024
Religious scholars who were present at the police station where the woman was brought confirmed that the calligraphy was not of verses from the Quran, according to a report by BBC. However, the woman issued an apology while rejecting the allegations of committing blasphemy.
It is a pity that this woman still had to ask for forgiveness, for false #blasphemy it is wise to ask for forgiveness to save her life, but Pakistan as a state has failed miserably, Friends, it is better to leave this country. #blasphemy #Pakistan
— Faraz Pervaiz (@FarazPervaiz3) February 25, 2024