Christian in Pakistan charged with blasphemy

A Pakistani Christian teen has been charged with blasphemy over a derogatory picture of Islam’s holiest place, police said on Tuesday.

Nabeel Chohan was arrested for liking and sharing on social media a disparaging photograph of the Kaaba, the building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that Muslims turn and pray to five times a day.

Mr Chohan, who is 18 and from Punjab province, also kept the picture on his phone, the police said.

A Muslim friend of his informed the police after seeing the Facebook post on September 16 and the teen was arrested after his friend filed the blasphemy case, police official Shahbaz Ahmed said. “A case of hurting religious sentiments of Muslims and desecrating the religious place has been lodged,” Mr Ahmed said.

Muhammad Hussain, the investigating police officer, confirmed the arrest and told AFP that Mr Chohan was in a police cell. Blasphemy is a hugely sensitive issue in conservative Muslim Pakistan.