Ichhra Bazaar incident
LAHORE: Ignoring the pressure mounted by some religious sections, the Lahore police on Friday lodged the First Information Report (FIR) against dozens of miscreants who harassed a woman wearing a shirt with Arabic-script print a couple of days back in Ichhra Bazaar here. The suspects turning into a charged mob had accused the woman of “blasphemy” as they confused the Arabic alphabet and words with the Quranic verses, endangering her life, as was evident from some mobile phone footage of the incident, which was also highlighted by international media, bringing disgrace to the country. However, timely action by the police was also lauded in and outside Pakistan when the video clips showed the heroic role of a woman police officer, Gulberg circle ASP Syeda Sheharbano Naqvi, who confronted the mob and rescued the woman. An official says the police high-ups were under immense pressure not to register an FIR against the suspects and avoid possible confrontation with some religious sections, notorious for resorting to violent agitation in the past.
