Lahore, Aug 16 : In response to blasphemy accusations, many churches were vandalised in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Wednesday, according to officials.
Imran Bhatti, the pastor of the Jaranwala tehsil, was quoted by Dawn.com as saying that the Salvation Army Church, United Presbyterian Church, Allied Foundation Church, and Shehroonwala Church located in the Isa Nagri region of the Jaranwala district of Faisalabad were plundered.
Bhatti claimed that the blasphemy-accused Christian cleaner’s home had also been destroyed.Usman Anwar, the head of the Punjab police, stated that the area had been roped off and that officers were in negotiations with the demonstrators.
According to an interview with Anwar by Dawn.com, “There are narrow lanes (in the area) in which small two to three marla churches are located and there is one main church… they have vandalised portions of the churches.”
The official stated that police across the province had been activated, and efforts were being made to contain the situation by working with peace committees.Anwar continued, “The Christian community’s assistant commissioner has also been evacuated after people turned against him.”Christian leaders, however, said that the police simply watched in silence.
According to Azad Marshall, the president bishop of the Church of Pakistan, “Bibles have been desecrated, and Christians have been tortured and persecuted after being falsely accused of violating the Holy Quran.”
He made the request in a post on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “We cry out for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice and the safety of all citizens to intervene immediately and assure us that our lives are valuable in our own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom,” he wrote.
Bishop Marshall went on to say that the situation “deeply pained and distressed” all priests, bishops, and laypeople.Former senator Afrasiab Khattak condemned the incident and urged that those responsible be brought to justice.
The state of Pakistan has failed to secure places of worship for those who practise faiths other than Islam. Extremists and terrorists have gained confidence as a result of the impunity for crimes done in the name of religion, he continued.
In Pakistan, accusations of blasphemy against minorities, including as Christians and Hindus, are common. Some have even been convicted and condemned under the strict blasphemy law.
