Police in Punjab detained scores of Muslim men and accused them with assaulting a Christian father and son on charges of desecrating pages from Quran, officials said Monday.
The mob went on a rampage! Locals discovered burned Quran pages outside the two Christian men’s house on Saturday and accused the son of setting fire to their house and shoemaking firm in Sargodha, Punjab province, said to senior police official Asad Ijaz Malhi. They also beat the son.
According to Malhi, police rescued the two wounded guys and transferred them to a hospital where they are in stable condition, and at least 33 persons were detained as a result of various police searches.
According to him, authorities were looking for anyone else who might have been involved in the incident.
According to locals and authorities, the fire completely destroyed the factory and sections of the house.
Punjab police stated in a statement that they increased security at churches.
Blasphemy charges are prevalent in Pakistan, and under the country’s blasphemy laws, anybody found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic holy leaders faces the death penalty. While no one has been executed on such accusations, even an accusation can spark riots and provoke crowds to violence, lynching, and murder.
The new violence, however, came to mind one of Pakistan’s bloodiest attacks on Christians in August 2023, when hundreds of Muslims set fire to Christian churches and homes in Jaranwala, a district in Punjab province.
Muslim people at the time also claimed to have witnessed two guys desecrating the Quran.
Maria Ghanchi