Pak woman mistakenly attacked for Arabic print on dress by mobs

LAHORE: In a shocking incident, a Pakistani woman at a local eatery in Lahore became the target of mob fury, as people accused her of blasphemy, mistaking the Arabic text on her dress for Quran verses, Pakistani vernacular media Express News Urdu reported.

A viral video of the incident on social media showed the Pakistani woman surrounded by a hostile mob, shouting at her and some calling for shooting her.

Reports suggest she could only escape after a police team, led by a woman officer, intervened and escorted her to safety. She later gave a public apology.

"The woman, along with her husband', had gone to the market for shopping. Some people saw her kurta, which had some Arabic calligraphy. People told the woman to remove her kurta, accusing her of blasphemy," the police said.

Taking to X, Arif Azakia, an expert on South Asian affairs, stated, "Mullah military alliance has brought Pakistan to this stage, a woman was wearing a dress with some Arabic words (non-Quranic), and Labaik Mullah got hold of her and harassed her. She was forced to apologise, and the police had to intervene."

Social media users said that the dress the woman was wearing, had no Quranic verses, and those who were accusing her, were not able to read Arabic texts.

Some netizens said that her dress, which triggered a dangerous situation, had the word 'Halwa' written over it, which means 'beautiful and sweet'.

On getting information about the incident, ASP Gulberg Shaher Bano Naqvi immediately reached the spot and risked her life to take the woman out of the angry mob, the vernacular media reported.

The video of the female ASP saving the woman's life also went viral on social media.

Notably, blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan and is punishable by death.

Although no one has ever been executed, blasphemy convictions are common. Human rights defenders claim mobs lynch the accused in attacks even before a case is put on trial.