Chinese man charged with blasphemy released from Pakistan jail

Tian was granted bail by a judge after he filed a surety bond of US$700

He was accused of blasphemy earlier this month after the Chinese national criticised two drivers working on a dam project for taking too much time to pray during duty period

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Pakistani police arrested a Chinese national on blasphemy charges to save him from a potential attack by angry residents. File photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 4:07pm, 28 Apr 2023

A Chinese national who was arrested in Pakistan on charges of blasphemy has been released from a high-security prison after a court granted him bail, a defence lawyer and local police said on Friday.

Atif Khan Jadoon, the lawyer for the man who has been only identified as Mr. Tian said the Chinese national was granted bail by a judge in the northwestern city of Abbottabad on Thursday.

Tian was released after he filed a surety bond of 200,000 rupees (US$700), Jadoon said.

The latest development comes weeks after Tian, who worked on a dam project, was detained after hundreds of residents and labourers in the town of Komela in northwestern Pakistan blocked a key highway and demanded his arrest. They alleged that Tian used insulting remarks about Islam, a charge the man denies.

Tian was part of a group of Chinese working on the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan. He was accused of blasphemy on April 15 after he criticised two drivers working on the project for taking too much time to pray during work hours.