“It was unjustified to ask woman for an apology:” Pakistan Ulema Council condemns Lahore incident

The Pakistan Ulema Council strongly condemned the harassment of a woman in Lahore for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy. 

In a statement on the microblogging site ‘X’, Chairman Pakistan Ulema Council Tahir Ashrafi stated that it was “unjustified” to ask the woman for an apology.

"The Pakistan Ulema Council strongly condemns the harassment of a woman in Lahore for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy. The timely intervention of the Lahore police is commendable, but it was unjustified to ask the woman for an apology. The perpetrators of the harassment should be the ones to apologise," his post read.

پاكستان علماء كونسل لاهور اچهره مين ايك خاتون كےلباس پر عربى كےالفاظ كى وجہ سے اس كو هراسان كرنےكى شديد مذمت كرتى هے اس موقعہ پر اچهره پوليس كى بهترين كوشش قابل تعريف هے ليكن خاتون سےمعافى كا كهنا بلا جواز تهامعافى تو هراسان كرنے والون كو مانگنى چاهے pic.twitter.com/ppamEQ5Z0y

— TahirMahmoodAshrafi حافظ محمد طاهراشرفى (@TahirAshrafi) February 25, 2024

The harassment incident occurred in Lahore’s Ichhra bazar on Sunday when videos surfaced on social media, showing a policewoman, Syeda Shehrbano Naqvi, addressing an angry mob to remain calm as she safely rescued a girl accused of blasphemy for wearing a dress with Arabic calligraphy.

According to reports, some shopkeepers defended the girl, providing her shelter in a shop and explaining to the mob that it was merely an Arabic calligraphy print. Eyewitnesses reported that most of the individuals in the charged mob were either customers, visitors, or passersby.

In the video, the girl, petrified by the fear of violence, can be seen sitting inside a shop, surrounded by the police, as an angry mob outside chanted anti-blasphemy slogans. 

The traders attempted to pacify the crowd by clarifying that the girl's dress did not disrespect Islam. Despite some accepting this explanation, some charged fanatics persisted with blasphemy allegations.

Recognising the sensitivity of the situation, the traders promptly called the police to the scene. As tensions escalated, higher officials were also summoned immediately, who intervened to diffuse the situation and took the woman under protective custody.

Gulberg Circle ASP Syeda Shehrnano Naqvi courageously rescued the woman from the enraged mob, and received praise for her actions in such a highly sensitive situation, where similar incidents in the past have tragically escalated into mob lynching.

In a video circulating on social media, the policewoman addresses the mob, saying, “During my service, I have handled three such incidents, and you should have trust in us [police].” The clip shows her covering up the girl and personally escorting her out of the crowd.

An hour after detaining the girl, police officials clarified to the media that the word ‘Halwa’ written on the girl's shirt was not a holy word but rather means ‘sweet’ in English, having no connection with Quranic verses.

While recording her statement to the media, seated with the clerics, the girl apologised for wearing an Arabic calligraphy shirt, saying that she belongs to a religious family and could not even consider disrespecting Islam.

However, several clerics, journalists, and social media users said that there was no need to force a girl to apologise, who hadn't committed any blasphemy.