Islamabad, Pakistan: A disturbing incident unfolded in eastern Pakistan on Saturday as a Muslim crowd attacked a settlement inhabited by members of the minority Christian community. According to officials and community leaders, at least five individuals from the Christian group were rescued amidst the chaos.
Shariq Kamal, the police chief of Sargodha district, reported that the crowd, accusing the Christian group of blasphemy, engaged in violent behavior, hurling stones and bricks at the police. A substantial police presence was deployed to cordon off the settlement and quell the unrest. As a result, five injured Christians were promptly transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
The situation escalated further as protesters set ablaze a house and a small shoe factory, alleging desecration of the Quran by a member of the minority community. Akmal Bhatti, a Christian leader, lamented the violence, stating, “They burned one house and lynched several Christians.”
Social media footage depicted scenes of looting and property destruction by the protesters. Bhatti confirmed the authenticity of the videos, which captured the harrowing events as they unfolded on the streets.
The incident has raised concerns among human rights organizations, with the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan highlighting the grave risk faced by the Christian community. Blasphemy accusations in Pakistan, a conservative Muslim-majority nation, often incite mob violence, underscoring the precarious situation for religious minorities.
Pakistan’s stringent blasphemy laws have been widely criticized for their misuse in settling personal vendettas. Although blasphemy is punishable by death in the country, no executions have been carried out by the state for this offense. However, numerous individuals accused of blasphemy have fallen victim to vigilante justice at the hands of enraged mobs.
This recent attack on the Christian community echoes a similar incident from last year, when a Muslim crowd vandalized churches and set ablaze numerous houses following allegations of Quran desecration by two Christian members.
