Thousands of Muslims in Pakistan have destroyed Christian homes and churches after alleging that two men had desecrated the Quran, the police reveal.
The attacks happened in Jaranwala, which is a city in eastern Punjab.
Residents said that up to a dozen structures connected to churches had been damaged, while police reported that at least four churches had been set on fire.
In Pakistan, blasphemy carries the death penalty.
Although no one has ever been put to death for it, several have previously been murdered by mobs after being falsely accused of it.
According to police presenting their case against the two Christian men, they discovered Quranic passages with disparaging comments highlighted in red, according to Reuters.
A Christian, Yassir Bhatti, age 31, was one of many who had to leave their houses.
“They broke the windows, doors and took out fridges, sofas, chairs and other household items to pile them up in front of the Church to be burnt,” he told the AFP news agency.
“They also burnt and desecrated Bibles. They were ruthless.”
Videos posted to social media show rioters demolishing Christian structures while it appears that police are on the scene.
The Punjab province’s communications minister, Amir Mir, denounced the alleged blasphemy and said in a statement that thousands of police officers have been dispatched to the region and that numerous people have been detained.
A government source told Reuters that the majority of the mob’s members were from the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), an Islamist political organisation. The TLP has denied being concerned.
Anwar ul Haq Kakar, the acting prime minister, urged prompt prosecution of the violent offenders.
In the adjoining city of Lahore, Pakistani Bishop Azad Marshall expressed that the events had left the Christian community “deeply pained and distressed.”
“We cry out for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice, and the safety of all citizens to intervene immediately and assure us that our lives are valuable in our own homeland,” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
