In fact, the police officer in question, Zahid Sohail, had apparently been beating the younger boy, aged 14, solely for being a Christian; the other boy had intervened to help his friend and was beaten in turn. Then a crowd of both Christians and Muslims intervened, asking Sohail why he was beating the boys so vigorously. He answered that they had blasphemed, but offered no details. 

It was only much later, when he returned to the scene, that he came up with the supposed reason: the boys, he claimed, had named their puppy “Muhammed Ali” — a clear case of blasphemy. 

More on this disturbing story can be found here: “Two Christian Teenagers arrested after police officer states they named puppy Muhammed Ali,” British Asian Christian Association, May 23, 2023:

The boys were booked under Section 295-C of the blasphemy law a statute which prohibits disrespect of the prophet Muhammed and is punishable by death.

On Friday 20th May a Judge sent the two boys to prison on judicial remand and now they face a potentially long prison sentence while they try to attain acquittal or bail.

Adil Babar (18 yrs) and neighbor Simon Masih (14 yrs) were arrested by Race Course Police in Lahore on Thursday 19th May, after an altercation led to a Muslim police officer alleging the Christians had blasphemed against Muhammed.

It seems that the policeman simply was angered by the failure of the boys to be sufficiently respectful or submissive to him, and began to beat the younger boy, and then after the older one intervened, continued to beat both of them, to “teach the Christians a lesson.” But he must have been surprised that Muslims joined Christians from the neighborhood who came out to protest his beating. He responded, to justify his behavior, that the boys had both “blasphemed.” He offered no details at the time of that supposed “blasphemy,” because he had not had time to make them up.

Police constable Zahid Sohail, accused the two Christian boys of having disrespected the Islamic prophet Muhammed, after a crowd of people intervened while he was beating the two boys.

Many Christian families in the area have vacated their homes and have travelled to relatives, as local mosques have begun to share the news of a blasphemy on their public address systems. There is great fear that a mob could attack the few Christians, about 500 families that live in this town. When our officers spoke to local Christians they all felt this was simply a malicious attack because the boys are Christian.

None were brave enough to talk into a camera or be in images as there are still simmering tensions in the area.