A senior police official stated on Friday that this week, a Muslim mob reportedly went on a rampage through the streets in Pakistan, resulting in the vandalization of over 80 homes belonging to Christians and 19 churches. The incident was purportedly triggered by allegations of blasphemy.
More than 80 Christian homes and 19 churches in Pakistan were vandalized when a Muslim mob rampaged through the streets over alleged blasphemy this week, a top police official said Friday.
Hundreds of Pakistan’s Christian minority fled their homes Wednesday when an angry crowd of Muslim men tore through a neighborhood in the city of Jaranwala in Punjab province, torching homes and churches.
Anwar said he personally interrogated the two Christian brothers accused of desecrating the Koran “to avoid accusations of torture”.
Police said they have arrested an additional 128 people linked to the rampage, in which 87 homes were damaged in the Christian neighborhood, their contents strewn all over the streets.
The angry mob of hundreds were ordered to protest by Muslim clerics, who used mosque loudspeakers to spread news of the allegations.
Muslims living in the predominantly Christian area gave shelter to their neighbors and pinned Koranic verses to the doors of Christian homes to prevent them from being targeted, residents of both faiths told media sources.
On Friday, 3,200 churches were guarded by police across Punjab province to provide reassurance to the Christian community, Anwar said, adding that he will travel to Jaranwala Sunday to show solidarity with the Christian community.
Government and religious leaders have called for calm.
Christian groups have held a number of small protests across the country calling for greater protection.
Punjab’s caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi expressed solidarity with Christians, adding that they would be compensated for their losses.
The provincial government has announced an inquiry into the violence.
Christians, who make up around two percent of the population, occupy one of the lowest rungs in Pakistani society and are frequently targeted with spurious blasphemy allegations.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
