Caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab Mohsin Naqvi stated on Thursday that the provincial administration would “restore” all Christian churches and residences that were damaged and torched amid mob violence on Wednesday that specifically targeted the minority population.
Naqvi, speaking to a group of Christian religious leaders, condemned the violence and stated it goes against the teachings of Islam and the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
He further promised that the structures destroyed by the mob would be repaired within three to four days and that no such “conspiracy” would be allowed to happen again.
Rangers set up a perimeter
On Thursday, police and witnesses reported paramilitary troops had roped off a Christian community in Punjab where a crowd had vandalised and set fire to multiple churches and scores of residences after two men living there were accused of desecrating the Holy Quran.
Residents and community leaders in Faisalabad’s industrial sector of Jaranwala reported the attack began on Wednesday and lasted for more than 10 hours without any assistance from police who were present at the scene. The police said security forces stopped a much worse incident, hence the charge was false.
The rioters wanted the two suspects, who had already fled their houses, returned to them immediately.
According to eyewitnesses, thousands of people led by local priests took to the streets armed with iron rods, clubs, knives, and daggers.
A regional government statement confirmed that paramilitary personnel had been called in to aid police in maintaining order.
A Reuters TV cameraman reports that the military have completely surrounded the Christian community, sealing off all exits with barbed wire.
Hundreds of Christians fled to a nearby neighbourhood, according to community leader Akmal Bhatti, who spoke with Reuters. He also said that four pastors had returned to the still-burning churches.
He estimated that at least fifty dwellings had been destroyed.
To make their way through the neighbourhood, “the miscreants dragged heavy goods from the houses and torched them in the streets and took away small valuables which they could carry easily,” Bhatti claimed.
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Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, has urged the government of Pakistan to take steps to protect religious minorities.
“The vicious mob attacks are just the latest manifestation of the threat of vigilante violence which anyone can face in Pakistan after a blasphemy accusation,” it said.
According to the government statement, more than a hundred people were detained by police after being accused of participating in the riots.
The United States is “deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday.
