Samsung Pakistan apologises for ‘blasphemy’: ‘Utmost respect for all beliefs…’
Here’s all you need to know about the controversy:
(1.) On Friday, a WiFi device installed at the Star City Mall played the alleged blasphemous remarks. Soon, news spread like wildfire, and protesters gathered at the site and staged violent protests. Pakistani journalist Naila Inayat shared the following video:
(2.) Another version of events said the violence was against a mobile QR code introduced by the company, that, supposedly, insulted Prophet Mohammad.
(3.) Meanwhile, police arrived at the spot, got the device shut, and seized it. As many as 27 Samsung employees have been detained and an inquiry is underway, officials said.
(4.) While there is no official word on the identity of attackers, or how many of them, if any, have been arrested, it is being reported that they belonged to the extremist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) group.
(5.) Blasphemy is a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan and, under the nation’s penal code, a person convicted for blasphemy can be fined and even sentenced to death. In December last year, a Sri Lankan factory manager was lynched by a mob in Sialkot.