Pakistan crowd vandalises churches, torches homes after blasphemy claim

A Muslim crowd attacked a Christian community in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, vandalising several churches and setting scores of houses on fire after accusing two of its members of desecrating the Holy Quran, police and community leaders said.

The attack took place in Jaranwala in the industrial district of Faisalabad, police spokesman Naveed Ahmad told Reuters. The two Christians were accused of blasphemy, he said, adding they and family members had fled their homes.

Resident Shakil Masih said he heard announcements inciting the mob and then saw crowds heading towards his Christian area.

“I left my home immediately with my family. Several other families did the same,” he told Reuters.

The area has been cordoned off as police negotiated with the crowd, provincial police chief Usman Anwar told Dawn News.

The police case against the two Christians is that they found pages of the Quran with some derogatory remarks written in red.

Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan and though no one has ever been executed for it, numerous accused people have been lynched by outraged crowds.

A Christian leader, Akmal Bhatti, said the crowd had “torched” at least five churches and looted valuables from houses that had been abandoned by their owners.

Several social media posts showed some churches, houses and belongings on fire as police stood by.