Mufti Taqi Usmani
ISLAMABAD: 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.”
Earlier on the same day, hundreds of men attacked Christian area in Jaranwala city in Faisalabad district. The mob alleged the desecration of the Holy Quran in that area.
Akmal Bhatti, a Christian leader, stated that the crowd had set fire to at least five churches and looted valuables from abandoned houses.
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.
Islamabad police launches the Minority Protection Unit
Meanwhile, the Islamabad police established a Minority Protection Unit (MPU). It consists of 70 policemen to safeguard minority places of worship and communities.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the police announced, “We have assigned 70 policemen to the ‘Minority Protection Unit’.”
US asks Pakistan to probe attacks on churches and blasphemy
Meanwhile, the United States urged Pakistan to investigate the mob attacks against churches and Christian homes. On Wednesday, violence erupted in the eastern part of the country amidst rumors of blasphemy.
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel informed reporters, “We are deeply concerned about the targeting of churches and homes in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan.”
He emphasized that the United States supports the principle of free expression.
However, the use of violence is not an acceptable means of expression, he added.
“We are urging the Pakistani authorities to thoroughly investigate these allegations,” he added.
Blasphemy remains a delicate issue in Pakistan, a nation where individuals deemed to have insulted Islam or Islamic figures.
This anti-Christian violence marks the most recent episode of turmoil in the fifth-most populous country globally.
Punjab govt initiates a high-level inquiry
Meanwhile, the interim Punjab government has initiated a high-level inquiry in response to a mob’s action on Wednesday. The protesters set fire to several churches and vandalized homes belonging to Christians.
