VIDEO: Girl wearing abaya printed in Arabic calligraphy saved from mob by police in Pakistan

Gulf Today Report

A lady police officer was praised and recommended for a gallantry award as she saved a young girl wearing Arabic calligraphy printed dress (abaya) from a charged mob, alleging she committed blasphemy, in a crowded market in Lahore city, local media reported on Monday.

The angry crowd shouted slogans after the woman was spotted in Lahore’s Ichhra Bazaar wearing the Arabic calligraphy embroidery abaya. Disturbing videos of the incident quickly circulated online, showing the mob confronting the woman while she was dining at a local restaurant on Sunday.

In a video that went viral on social media, the girl was seen sitting with her hands covering her face in what appeared to be a restaurant in Lahore city. A lady police officer, Shehrbano, who came to her rescue can be seen urging the crowd to not resort to any violence and afterwards helped her move out of the place.

According to media report, the situation turned ugly after someone alleged that the girl’s dress was bearing Quranic verses. However, some shopkeepers defended the girl and sheltered her in a shop, telling the mob it was just an Arabic calligraphy print not the Holy Quran verses.

As per eyewitnesses, most of the charged people in the mob were either customers, visitors or passersby and the garment traders who rescued the girl were aware of the clothing with Arabic calligraphy print available in the market.

A video clip taking rounds on social media shows the girl hiding in a shop shivering with fear of being attacked by the mob on blasphemy charge, an allegation that resulted in public lynching in many incidents in the past across the country.

The footage showed the girl denying the allegations of insulting religion, saying she has done nothing intentionally as the clothing with Arabic calligraphy was commonly wore in some foreign courtiers.

The shopkeepers also endorsed her views saying the industry has encouraged clothes carrying Islamic/Arabic calligraphy and the alphabets and words on her shirt had nothing to do with the Holy verses.

The witnesses says that though after the traders’ explanation, the mob got divided into groups having different views, still some charged zealots kept on insisting on “blasphemy” charge.

On this, the witnesses say, one of the traders called the police to avert any untoward incident resulting in harm to the girl.

Meanwhile, some police officials reached the spot and sensing that it has been turned into a sensitive issue, reported it to their high-ups who ordered them to act quickly and rescue the girl to avoid any untoward incident.

A police team engaged the crowd and some officials took the girl into protective custody and shifted her to the police station amid heightened security measures.

Senior police officers also reached the police station and inquired about the incident. They examined the dress and then briefed the charged crowd that the girl has not violated or disrespected the religion.

Another social media footage shows Gulber Circle ASP Shehrbano addressing the mob and trying to convince them that no blasphemous act had been committed by the girl.

“During my service, I have handled three such incidents, and you should have trust in us [police],” she could be heard telling the mob. She then covered up the girl and personally escorted her out of the crowd, the clip shows.

The police officer explained that the meaning of one of a word ‘Halwa’ (beautiful)  written in Arabic calligraphy on the dress the girl was wearing was not a holy word.

During an hour or so custody of the terrified girl, ASP Gulberg Shehrbano briefed the media persons that the alphabets on the shirt the teenage girl was wearing have nothing to do with Quranic verses.

The girl in her statement strongly rejected the allegations of committing blasphemy, saying she could not even think of disrespecting Islam as she was from a religious family.

The girl also apologised for the incident later. In the video shared online, the girl was heard saying, “I had bought the abaya as it had a good design… Did not think people would think in this way… I did not have any intention of insulting Quran… I apologise for the incident.”