Pakistan authorities have begun an investigation and arrested at least 146 people in the Punjab province a day after a Muslim mob set five churches on fire and targeted dozens of houses belonging to the local Christian community on the grounds of blasphemy,
On Thursday, the Inspector General of Punjab Police, Usman Anwar said, “We are continuing our operations to detain others involved,” after hundreds of people went on the rampage and attacked Christian homes and places of worship in Jaranwala city, in the Faisalabad district – about 115 kilometres southwest of the provincial capital, Lahore.
According to local sources, one of the biggest outbreaks of violence against the minority population in recent years started after shredded Quranic pages with allegedly blasphemous writing on them were reportedly found close to Jaranwala’s Isa Nagri (a christian colony) neighbourhood.
One of the five churches vandalized was the Salvation Army Church in Jaranwala. Social media videos showed a group of guys storming the largest church in the city’s front facade and attempting to knock the cross off its roof. Police officers could be seen standing in the middle of the spectators while the assailants continued to vandalize the churches in some of the alleged footage on X.
As violence engulfed the 230,000-person populated city, homes, shops, and cemeteries belonging to the Christian population were also targeted.
In order to contain the violence in the country, which has been through an unparalleled political and economic crisis, thousands more police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed.
Punjab’s information minister Amir Mir, said that an inquiry into the alleged destruction of the Quran indicated that the event was a “well-thought-out conspiracy to inflame public sentiments.” He made no more mention of his assertions.
In a series of tweets on X, the social media site previously known as Twitter, Mir said that “security of the churches has been tightened and a large number of security personnel have been deployed.”
Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, the interim prime minister of Pakistan, denounced the violence and demanded that those responsible be brought to justice.
In a post on X, Kakar said, “I am gutted by the visuals coming out of Jaranwala, Faisalabad. Stern action would be taken against those who violate law and target minorities.”
Ozioma Samuel-Ugwuezi
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