A man was arrested and booked in Rawalpindi on Saturday in connection with the desecration of the Bible — the holy book of the Christian faith.

The incident came to light when a video showing a man insulting the Bible with a slipper surfaced on Twitter.

In response to the video, the Rawalpindi police stated that the suspect was “swiftly traced” and apprehended through “prompt law enforcement action”.

The police further stated that an “exemplary punishment” would be meted out to the suspect following a “thorough and merit-based” investigation.

Rawalpindi Regional Police Officer Syed Khurram Ali told Dawn.com the arrest was made earlier in the day.

He further stated that the suspect will be presented in court tomorrow (Sunday) to secure his physical remand, enabling the commencement of the interrogation process.

A case regarding the incident was filed at the Morgah police station based on a complaint lodged by Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Naveed Aslam, invoking Section 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), which pertains to uttering words with a deliberate intent to wound religious feelings.

In the first information report, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, ASI Aslam explained that he “saw a viral video on social media in which an individual was seen disrespecting Christianity and the Bible”.

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal termed the incident a “shameful act”.

“Where Islam teaches respect for one’s beliefs, it also teaches respect for the beliefs of others. It is the responsibility of the state to provide religious protection to its citizens,” he said, adding that society collectively had to eliminate such behaviour.

It is pertinent to mention that on August 16, a violent mob of hundreds ransacked and torched five churches, attacked the residences of members of the Christian community and the office of the local assistant commissioner, following an alleged incident of blasphemy in Jaranwala town of Faisalabad district.

Opinion

One year on

One year on

Governance by the ruling coalition has been underwhelming and marked by growing authoritarianism.

Editorial

Climate funding gap
Updated 17 Feb, 2025

Climate funding gap

Pakistan must boost its institutional capacity to develop bankable climate projects.
UN monitoring report
Updated 17 Feb, 2025

UN monitoring report

Pakistan must press Kabul diplomatically over its tolerance of TTP terrorism.
Tax policy reform
17 Feb, 2025

Tax policy reform

THE cabinet’s decision to create a Tax Policy Office at the finance ministry has raised hopes that tax policy is...
Maintaining balance
Updated 16 Feb, 2025

Maintaining balance

It must take a more proactive approach to establishing Pakistan’s bona fides.
Welcome return
16 Feb, 2025

Welcome return

IT is almost here; the moment Pakistan has long been waiting for — the first International Cricket Council...
Childhood trauma
16 Feb, 2025

Childhood trauma

BEING a child in this society should not be so hard. But recurrent reports of child abuse — from burying girl...