Pakistan

Lahore church attacks: My brother was not a militant, says brother of lynched victim

Victim's brother says he was a glasscutter and in Youhanabad for work when incident took place

Rana Yasif/web Desk March 16, 2015

Express News screengrab

LAHORE: One of the men lynched by an angry mob following the twin church attacks in Lahore's Youhanabad area has been identified as a glasscutter Naeem.

“My brother was innocent and not a militant,” Naeem's brother Saleem said, while speaking to the Express News.

"My brother was missing and when we went to the hospital we discovered he was one of those lynched.”

Read: 14 dead, 75 injured in attack on Lahore’s Christian community

Claiming his brother was innocent and not a militant, Saleem said, “We own a shop called Azeem glass and aluminum center and my brother was in the area to do some work when the incident took place.”

Saleem has registered an application at Nishtar Colony police station to register a case against protesters for killing his brother under section 7 of Anti-Terrorism Act.

He further claimed that the second man who was killed by the mob was also his relative.

Meanwhile, police has said that it is premature to say any thing till they get the report of DNA test.

Following the twin Taliban suicide bombings of churches that killed 14 people, protesters lynched two ‘suspects’ in anger. The other 'suspect' has is still to be identified.

Anger and rage in the Lahore's Christian community showed no signs of abating as protests entered a second day on Monday.

Read: One killed, 12 injured as Christians protest countrywide over deadly church attacks

COMMENTS (41)

Sam@ABE | 9 years ago | Reply This is sad and unfortunate. Strange thing is that even in Nagaland, India, the Christian Naga mob lynched the Muslim accused in the rape incident. This is very unlike Christians of the sub-continent.

Indian Observer | 9 years ago | Reply i am a neutral but I ask , if the mob who killed a couple in a furnace, are they not terrorists too, going by the logic that many commentors have made. The church goers were innocent too and they are not accused of any prior incidents.

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Paki | 9 years ago | Reply Good to show solidarity with the grieved. We all should stand united against the attack anywhere and against any segment of our beloved country. Christian elders and leaders should also trace the terrorists on their side, who burned two innocent Pakistanis alive. The barbarians harming civilians on road and destroying public property must be brought to justice.

S.R.H. Hashmi | 9 years ago | Reply Killing of 15 people and wounding of another 75 in the not first of its kind attack on Churches is very tragic indeed. However, our Christian brothers and sisters ought to realize that the attacks by these madmen are not directed solely against Christians but against all Pakistanis. However even in a state of grief, vandalizing of state and private property cannot be justified. And going a step further, angry protesters snatched two suspects from the custody of Policemen and killed and burned them.And the brother of one victim claims he was innocent and had just gone there to fix windows.. Now this is reprehensible in the extreme because it is courts prerogative to determine guilt and punish criminals. This is basically an abject failure of the state which has been unable to check and eliminate this destructive mindset which was created by Gen. Ziaul Haq while later governments allowed the menace grow. Unfortunately a large part of the provincial police force is engaged in providing personal security to the leaders, their family members, friends and associates. And the remaining Police force is used as the militant wing of state authorities basically to suppress any opposition to the ruling party and to further their personal interest like we saw in the Model Town killing of fourteen people and wounding another eighty among a peaceful assembly at Dr. Tahirul Qadri's secretariat. The dismal performance of the Punjab Police can be judged from the fact that during recent disturbance following the brutal Church attack, Rangers had to be called into control the mobs. With this pattern, there is no hope for NAP because provincial governments will take the line of least resistance against terrorist outfits and the institutions which are churning out terrorists in large numbers. Their contribution to the comprehensive National Action Plan will amount to not much more than paying lip-service to it apart from taking some purely cosmetic measures against the sources of terrorism.. If the army chief is really serious in eliminating terrorism from the country, which he appears to be, he ought to impress on provincial leaders, rather force them to take necessary measure or if they are unwilling to take on this job due to fears for security of self and family, advise them to move to their secure, cosy nests abroad and leave the job to courageous and competent persons who are ready and willing to take on the menace. Karachi

bigmac | 9 years ago | Reply @Human: '..such things happen when tempers are high'. Not very human of you.

News1o2 Pakistan | 9 years ago | Reply He was set on fire in front of policemen. The police officers that were present at the time of this incident shall also be set on fire, because they were failed to provide safety to a citizen. What kind of police is this? Pakistani police is a failure and can never protect people, but instead they watch them burning. Tell me any example of any other country where someone is set on fire in front of policemen, and policemen watch them calmly? Even if someone is a terrorist, police shall never watch him burning but instead arrest him for interrogation.

Not the son of soil | 9 years ago | Reply @ Sara and after that whole village was arrested by the Police, speakers removed from the mosques.

Knight Khan | 9 years ago | Reply @Kanwal: Lady I will ask you the same question once your own brother gets the same treatment, & only you & your family know about him. The guy's entire community can't lie.

Saad | 9 years ago | Reply @Sara: That still doesn't justify mob justice. It is barbaric regardless of who propagates it.

Ajmal Abbasi | 9 years ago | Reply By this type of barbarism; christian community is just losing the sympathies that we all had for them after the attacks. Such wild actions prove that extremists are on every side and not bound to any specific religion. I wonder where are so-called civil society soldiers who spend no time in coming out with candles and torches when similar action is done from other side. Do they get fueled by dollars only or have any humanity as well?

Human | 9 years ago | Reply @zara: You think if man is ugly he can be killed and those who have been killed were not criminals they were also innocents. This shows your attitude towards other communities, you can not tolerate non Muslims this is your mindset and result of Madrassa education. Condemn every terrorist this young man has been killed by a mob and such things happen when tempers are high.

a&a | 9 years ago | Reply Nothing gonna work until action been taken against Punjabi Taliban and their supporters in the Punjab.

Raza | 9 years ago | Reply People here blaming terrorists and mobs but no one dares to blame the underlying fuel that is burning Pakistan - mixing of Islam with politics. Remove all references to religion from laws and politics and one day people of Pakistan will also experience the joys of living in a secular society where religion is a private matter. Millions of Pakistanis live prosperously in Europe and America without imposing Islam on others under secular, modern, and fair laws. Why can't Pakistanis in Pakistan learn to live like that?

amir jafri | 9 years ago | Reply Liberaloons and secularoon mob frenzy...to pledge allegiance to their Imperialist masters..more NGO money to crush Islamic values.

Sara | 9 years ago | Reply I've seen a number of replies and yet all of them fail to comprehend that why did the mob took the law into their hands. I'll give an insight. Do you remember the Muslim crowd lynching the Christian couple and the delay of justice.

Blithe | 9 years ago | Reply Please use video footage and arrest the mob leaders . This behavior is totally unacceptable

fox | 9 years ago | Reply @jibran What has sect to do with it, why do you demand such.It is the mentality of you ppl that is destroying pakistan. .ppl should condemn those who delivered justice via mob absolutely criminal and they should be identified hung drawn and quartered not on sect or religion affiliations but solid concrete evidences. .study!

Anonymous | 9 years ago | Reply Moderator, you are a hypocrite you did not post my comments because you don't like people who call spade a spade. This man was caught making aerial firing along with the other man who was lynched and now everyone says he is innocent just because the brother said so..and also as @salim Jan said that person with beard is labelled suspect so that means minorities in Pakistan are labelled to be persecuted and victims of such barbaric attacks. People killed in the blasts were innocents too, what about them, catch the suspect handover to police and than he is declared innocent because of BEARD or victims are pressurized to compromise just like the family of Salman Taseer...Bravo

Muhammad Shoaib | 9 years ago | Reply This is shame that an innocent Halal bread earner was killed by people in front of Police whose duty is to provide security and safety to people at the cost of even their life.We strongly condemn both the terrorists' attacks on churches as well as the death of this innocent person. However the killers of this innocent are clearly seen and recognized in the footage published on bbc.co.uk/urdu. These killers should be immediately arrested and they should be tried in the Military Court on the terrorism charges. This killing is at par with terrorism that killed innocent worshipers in the two churches. One act of terrorism does not justify and it does not pave the path for another act of terrorism. The policemen. from whose custody this innocent person was snatched, are equally responsible for this murder.

IY | 9 years ago | Reply The complete lack of law and order is the root cause for both these extremely unfortunate tragedies. If there was the rule of law in this country, both of these inthumane acts will be properly punished i.e. the one committed first by the Talibans and the second one then by the insane mob. So where is the police and where is the justice system? According to the chief of police of Punjab, they did not intervene the mob becausit ould have made the situation out of control! Did he mean to say that the two innocent people beaten to death and then burnt in public is a situation in control? Shame on him!

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply Its surprising that no attention is being given to the two suicide bombers......who were they ? where did they get brain washed ? who were their handlers, because they always have handlers close by ?

Aki | 9 years ago | Reply Barbaric attack and a equally barbaric response from christian community. Must praise patience of shias n rest of groups targetted so far . I think,with such like reaction, christians have paved way for more attacks on them. It was a terror attack similar to numerous carried out by kharjis(shia mosques...APSC...funerals...on military etc)....Christians, they played into the hands of TTp, such senseless reaction shows lack of understanding and black mailing from local christians.

Dilip | 9 years ago | Reply Sad. For both the victims of the blast and killing of the innocent bystanders. If it is not the school, then it is the Shia's else it is the Ahmedies or the Hindus. Where and when will it all end. In Karachi if it is not the BhattiWalas then it the political rivalries else it is the gangs. It is time for Pakistanis to shed all the unwanted baggage and start moving forward. Peace and tolerance is required to move forward. On the street, at the work place ALL are Pakistani. At home and in your community you are a Sunni,Shia,Ahmeddi,Christian,Hindu or a Parsee.

Salim Jan | 9 years ago | Reply Attack on Christian minority is an act of terrorism and all Muslims condemn this.But the revenge lynching is heart-rending and well up tears in the eyes of one who is humane and soft-hearted.The culprits need exemplary punishment.His cries and pleas didn't move them.A person who has beard and is at the wrong place in the wrong time he is labelled suspect.

Sam | 9 years ago | Reply Responding to a crime by commuting another crimes does not absolve anyone..terrorists and mobs deserve same punishments under the law.

Raees Ahmad | 9 years ago | Reply Pakistani courts are failed to provide justice. Our brothers, sons and fathers remain being victim of incidents until common Pakistani stands to point out boycott socially the militant from his family, neighbourhood and tribe. The terrorist have penetrated in every walk of our society. I fear we are advancing to civil war with each other with Arab on one side and China and India on other.

Alter Ego | 9 years ago | Reply @Supersequel: I agree , are not Muslims too being killed daily ?

Do we burn our own cities , more Muslims have been killed then Christians.

Saad | 9 years ago | Reply @Kanwal: Innocent until proven guilty. Mob justice is the Taliban's forte.

imran ghori | 9 years ago | Reply condemend,,, those who responsible for killing of innocient Naeem must be arresated and brought to justice,

Kanwal | 9 years ago | Reply While it could also be that he was innocent. But there is equal chance of him being terrorsist. We are actually seeing the terrorists attack in groups now. S without investigation, we cant know the truth. Every terrorist's brother can claim they were innocent.

A Karachiite | 9 years ago | Reply Moral of the story: Don't blame the religion or the nation, but the leaders who have created an environment of mistrust, frustration, and lack of respect for their beliefs/attire/ethnicity/language.

Real Truth | 9 years ago | Reply The Christian community seems to be doing exactly what the terrorists want to happen -- complete anarchy! They better let some sanity prevail, and stop becoming tools in the hands of Taaliban, or else, they stand to lose all the synpathy created by this tragedy!

Jibran | 9 years ago | Reply I do want to know the sect of the victim of the mob, as I don't believe in coincidences. Mere statement of the brother is not sufficient.

Gultasib Khan | 9 years ago | Reply an innocent young man is killed by these thugs. the culprits should be punished. Central and Provisional Government have failed miserably for mainting the law & order in the Country.it,s time we have Rangers in Punjab too.

Nazir Basha | 9 years ago | Reply Should condemn the lynching of innocents, but who created such a situation in Pakistan if not Mullahs and their diabolic teachings. Peoples anger should be diverted to the Mullahs/Clerics and the supporters of Terrorists.

zara | 9 years ago | Reply Plz punish the mob. punish the killers. no getting away from heinous crime. What beautiful young man. No this isnot working. You cant kill an innocent out of rage.

Haroon | 9 years ago | Reply It is important that the government and community leaders appeal for calm. Mindless and directionless rage is not going to solve any problem...

Khawar Butt | 9 years ago | Reply This reminds us of the tragedy that happened in Sialkot few years ago. Justice must be served in this case too.

Supersequel | 9 years ago | Reply This is why I get frustrated sometimes. Entire paksitan is under attack but when minorities come under attack its suddenly "us against them." Shameful.

Hassan Zahoor Khan | 9 years ago | Reply A very beautifull and young man beaten to death by the crazy and jahil mob, no one there to save him protect him may ALLAH bless this man, and justice be served what they did was inhumane and the police should step up this is what happens when you politicise police, Police morale is down please use your power and arrest those responsible fpr killing this innocent young man.

PeacePlease | 9 years ago | Reply The insane mob has done more damage then the terrorists could do. Imagine what would have happened if victims of attacks on Masjids, Imambargahs, Shrines, Schools, Airports (and the list goes on) had shown the same violent response? Christian community should understand that such tragedies are being faced by the whole nation. Don't let the enemies win by burning your own homeland.

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