AMN / WEB DESK
The United States on Wednesday called on Pakistan to probe the mob attacks on churches and Christian homes that broke out in Faisalabad’s Jaranwala amid blasphemy rumours.
Hundreds of men attacked a predominantly Christian area on the outskirts of the industrial city earlier in the day after allegations spread that the Holy Quran had been desecrated.
“We are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.
He said that while the United States backed free expression, “violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression.”
“We urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm,” he said.
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where anyone deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures can face the death penalty.
The anti-Christian violence is the latest unrest in Pakistan, where on Monday a little-known senator, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, was sworn in as caretaker prime minister to see through elections.
Meanwhile interim Punjab government has ordered a high-level probe after a mob set fire to a number of churches and vandalised Christians’ homes during a rampage on Wednesday, with authorities saying over 100 people had been arrested.
The mob made its way through a predominantly Christian area on the outskirts of the industrial city of Faisalabad after allegations spread that the Holy Quran had been desecrated.
“This was a well thought out plan to disrupt peace and a high-level investigation is underway regarding the desecration of the Holy Quran and incidents that take place afterward,” a spokesperson for the provincial government said in a statement.
The spokesperson said police “foiled” the bid to attack the homes of the minorities and that the “peace committee” mobilised to ensure similar attempts are thwarted.