LAHORE: Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi vowed on Thursday to restore all the churches and Christians’ homes within three to four days that were ransacked and torched during the Jaranwala violence a day earlier.
On Wednesday, a violent mob of hundreds had ransacked and torched 5 churches while also attacking the homes of the Christian community’s members.
The mob also vandalised the office of the local assistant commissioner and a Christian cemetery. After the incident, the Punjab government called in in Rangers while three thousand police personnel from different police units, including the Elite Force, had been deployed as well.
The violence reportedly erupted after some locals alleged that they have seen several desecrated pages of the Holy Quran near a house at Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala, where two Christian brothers lived.
In light of the serious situation, the district authorities have imposed Section 144 for seven days, prohibiting all kinds of assembly, except for events organised by the government.
Meanwhile, the provincial government ordered a top-level inquiry committee to probe the incident, in line with directives issued by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq.
Punjab police make arrests
Separately, Punjab police said in a statement that it had made over one hundred arrests while the Jaranwala police booked more than 600 people in two terror cases.
Addressing a meeting on Thursday (today) , which was attended by the clerics of the Christian community, Mohsin Naqvi condemned the violence and stressed that such incidents were anti-Islam and were totally against the teachings of the Holy Prophet.
Naqvi claimed the mob-led attack was a planned conspiracy to light a fire in Pakistan and sabotage its peace.
The chief minister emphasized the need of a plan to prevent such incidents with the help of religious minorities. He also urged religious leaders to spread the message of the Holy Quran among the people.
