After violent demonstrations erupted in Karachi after allegedly blasphemous remarks aired in a mall in the neighboring country’s largest city, Samsung Pakistan issued an apology. Samsung Pakistan stated in a statement that it “maintains impartiality on religious sensitivities” and that it has launched an internal investigation into the situation.
As many as 27 Samsung employees have been detained after alleged blasphemous comments were played inside Karachi’s Star City Mall on Friday.
Here’s all you need to know about the controversy:
(1) A WiFi gadget put in the Star City Mall aired the allegedly profane statements on Friday. As the word quickly circulated, people gathered at the spot and launched violent demonstrations. Naila Inayat, a Pakistani journalist, released a video of protests against a Samsung store.
(2) According to an other account, the violence occurred in response to the company’s introduction of a mobile QR code that allegedly insulted the Prophet Muhammad.
In the meanwhile, police came at the scene, secured the device, and took it. According to officials, as many as 27 Samsung employees have been detained and an investigation is underway.
It has been alleged that the assailants belonged to the radical Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organisation, however there has been no official confirmation of their identities or the number of those apprehended, if any.
In Pakistan, blasphemy is a highly sensitive topic, and according to the country’s penal code, a person guilty of blasphemy can be penalised or even condemned to death. In December of last year, a mob in Sialkot lynched a Sri Lankan plant manager.
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