Pakistan Factory Torched after Quran-burning Report
Hundreds of people surrounded a chipboard factory in Jehlum city on Friday night and set it ablaze after reports that one employee had allegedly desecrated the Quran.
"The incident took place after we arrested the head of security at the factory, Qamar Ahmed Tahir, for complaints that he ordered the burning of Qurans," senior police official Adnan Malik told AFP.
Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in Pakistan, an Islamic republic of some 200 million.
Critics say the country's blasphemy laws are often misused to settle personal scores.
Police said another employee at the factory had reported that Mr Tahir was overseeing the burning of Qurans in the facility's boiler, and intervened to stop the act.
"We registered a blasphemy case against Tahir, who is Ahmadi by faith, and arrested him after confiscating the burnt material, which also included copies of the Quran," Mr Malik said.
Following the arrest, a mob reportedly descended on the factory, setting it alight.
Pakistan's supreme court last month called on the country's politicians to ensure that hundreds of people facing imprisonment and even execution under controversial blasphemy laws have not been falsely charged, often by enemies wanting to settle personal scores.
The court issued a detailed judgment warning that in Islam a false accusation can be as serious as the blasphemy itself.
Blasphemy is "abhorrent and immoral", the judgment said, "but at the same time a false allegation regarding commission of such an offence is equally detestable besides being culpable".
Source: AFP
