Man accused of blasphemy remanded in police custody

A court on Saturday granted two-day police remand of the manager of a cellular phone company for questioning in a case pertaining to an alleged insult of sectarian nature.

The man had been taken into custody following a violent protest by a large number of people in the Saddar area on Friday.

The Preedy police produced the accused before the judicial magistrate-XXVI (South) and requested his remand for interrogation. The investigating officer said the accused was required to be questioned about the alleged crime, and pleaded with the magistrate to hand him over to the police for the purpose.

The court approved two-day physical remand of the accused and directed the IO to produce him on the completion of the remand along with an investigation report.

The manager of the cellular phone company has been booked under sections 298-A (use of derogatory remarks against holy personages) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and Section 25-D of the Telegraph Act on the complaint of a shopkeeper.

According to the content of the FIR, the complainant said he received a screenshot on his cellphone showing different Wi-Fi devices installed at the Star City Mall. The names of two of them contained blasphemous remarks, he claimed. Such screenshots were received by other shopkeepers as well. He said the Wi-Fi routers were installed at a shop of the cellular company on the 10th floor of the mall.