At least eight churches were burnt down by an enraged mob in the Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad over accusations of blasphemy. The mob also burnt several copies of the Bible. Many Christian families have reportedly gone into hiding following the incident, fearing further violence.
Following the incident, Rangers was called to handle the situation. Visuals doing the rounds on social media showed people burning down furniture that they dragged from inside the church buildings as smoke rose from the churches.
Meanwhile, the authorities appeared to be helpless before the extremist groups behind the incident. Fulfilling the mob’s demand, the Punjab government transferred the Jaranwala Assistant Commissioner, a Christian by faith, “on administrative grounds” following the incident. Moderator Bishop of the Church of Pakistan Azad Marshall expressed the Christian community’s distress at the incident. In a tweet, he said, “A church building is being burnt as I type this message. Bibles have been desecrated and Christians have been tortured and harassed having been falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran. We cry for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice..”
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar condemned the incident and vowed “stern action” against the perpetrators. “All law enforcedment has been asked to apprehend culprits and bring them to justice,” he wrote while quoting Bishop Azad Marshal’s tweet.
