An anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad has ordered the joint investigation team to submit a report and produce eyewitnesses on April 27 in a blasphemy case against the Chinese engineer, who was arrested in Kohistan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, amid the accused’s absence from the proceedings due to “security reasons”.
The Chinese man working on the Dasu hydropower project was taken into police custody on April 17 after an angry mob gathered outside his office to attack him, for allegedly making blasphemous remarks during a workplace argument.
The engineer allegedly made blasphemous remarks during a workplace dispute about the slow pace of work during Ramzan, the Islamic month of fasting.
The Chinese engineer has denied the accusations levelled against him by his fellow workers. He is currently in 14-day judicial custody.
Dawn reported the court also ordered the JIT to produce witnesses and the accused on April 27.
Headed by additional SP (headquarters) Jamil Ahmad, the JIT didn’t present the Chinese man in the court, citing “security concerns” as the reason.
Judge Sajjad Ahmad Jan directed the JIT to record the statement of the main witness in the case and Chinese-Urdu translator, Yasir Ali, whose claims ignited the incident.
Earlier, Yasir Ali had said that he was “doubtful” of what sacrilegious remarks the foreigner had uttered during police interrogation.
The witnesses could also not attend the hearing, according to their lawyer Mohammad Yusuf, who told the court that his clients were absent as the Karakoram Highway was blocked in the Upper Kohistan district.
The main complainant in the case, Kamila SHO Naseeruddin, produced records in court.
Lawyers Atif Ali Jadoon and Mohammad Arif Masud and the deputy public persecutor appeared in the hearing on behalf of the Chinese man.
Clerics Maulana Attaur Rehman, Maulana Waliullah Tohidi, Maulana Malik Umar, Maulana Abdul Aziz and Abdul Jabbar, who decided to represent Kohistan residents in the case, were also present during the hearing.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://dissenttoday.net/featured/chinese-engineer-accused-of-blasphemy-not-produced-before-atc-for-security-reasons/&media=https://dissenttoday.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Chinese-Engineer-Accused-Of-Blasphemy-Not-Produced-Before-ATC-For-Security-Reasons.jpg&description=An anti-terrorism court in Abbottabad has ordered the joint investigation team to submit a report and produce eyewitnesses on April 27 in a blasphemy case against the Chinese engineer, who was arrested in Kohistan district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, amid the accused's absence from the proceedings due to "security reasons". ){kind=link}