LAHORE: On Sunday, the Punjab Police rescued a woman encircled by a heated mob in the city’s Ichhra Bazaar on suspicion of blasphemy after she was seen wearing a printed shirt with Arabic lettering, according to The News.
The woman was saved by police enforcement just a few minutes after being encircled and tormented by an irate throng who wanted to punish her for supposedly wearing a dress with “holy verses” printed on it.
The woman was with her husband at the Ichhra Bazaar when some people attempted to harm her, and she sought refuge in a nearby shop.
Upon getting information of the incident, Punjab Police — led by Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, who is the sub-divisional police officer at Gulbarg Lahore — arrived at the scene to take the woman into their custody, saving her from the charged crowd.
According to the police, the woman, who declined to be identified, stated that she had no intention of offending anyone’s feelings. She was released after authorities determined that it was a mistake and that the shirt’s design did not include sacred verses.
Maryam Nawaz, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president and chief minister-in-waiting, praised ASP Shehrbano’s efforts to save the woman’s life and ensure her safety after the event.
