Two Christian men
FAISALABAD/ISLAMABAD: On Friday, a police spokesperson confirmed the arrest of two Christians in on blasphemy charges in Jaranwala case.
This action comes just two days after a mob set fire five churches and houses within the minority settlement. Demonstrators alleged that the two Christian men had desecrated the Quran.
The allegations against the two Christians are linked to pages of the Quran that were discovered with derogatory remarks written in red.
Punjab government has deployed paramilitary troops to protect the Christians and churches in the affected area.
Blasphemy is a capital offense in Pakistan. In the past, several accused individuals have fallen victim to lynching by enraged crowds.
Mufti Taqi Usmani condemns attacks on churches
Meanwhile, Mufti Taqi Usmani, the country’s senior cleric and Islamic scholar, condemned the targeting of the Christians community in Jaranwala. He considered it “shameful for the whole nation.”
Mufti Taqi expressed his condemnation on his official X. He emphasized the importance of pursuing legal avenues in cases involving offensive actions.
“On X, he wrote, “The incident of Jaranwala is shameful for the whole nation. If someone has done something insulting, there is a legal recourse.” He criticized responding to an offensive act with burning places of worship and causing harm to a peaceful religious minority.
He added, “Burning churches or causing any harm to peaceful Christian citizens is highly condemnable. There is no room for such actions in Islam.”
Meanwhile, authorities registered two cases against the arsonists in Jaranwala, naming 37 suspects. Police arrested two main suspect of the attacks while more than 600 individuals were included in the investigation.
