‘Second-class citizens’: Jaranwala attack condemned

The organisers of the Minority Rights March and Aurat March have vehemently condemned the heinous attack on the Christian community in Jaranwala, Faisalabad, following an allegation of blasphemy against two local Christian youth – an allegation yet to be investigated, verified, or substantiated.

The representatives of the Aurat and Minority Rights March during their press conference on Thursday at the Karachi Press Club feared that these attacks have further raised terror and fear among the minority communities.

“As is seen in such cases, a mob instigated by local clerics proceeded to ransack and burn homes of the Christian community, destroy and desecrate churches, and burn the Holy Bible,” they said while reading a statement.

“This incident is yet another organised and planned mob attack on minorities in the growing violence spree of burning of churches, temples, and other communal places of worship of minorities, and extra-judicial violence on allegations of blasphemy.”

Read more: Punjab govt to restore churches, homes after Jaranwala violence

They said that the incident raises questions about assurances given to religious minorities in the Constitution about freedom of life and liberty.

“Are religious minorities in Pakistan not entitled to constitutional rights to life, liberty, security and religious freedom? Should these attacks be interpreted as furtherance of any unspoken policy to eradicate religious minorities from Pakistan,” they questioned.

Addressing the media, they said that the horrific incident also calls into question the competence of the Punjab Police, who, in respect of the alleged incident of blasphemy, had registered FIR No. 1258/2023 at Police Station City Jaranwala at 7am on August 16, thus they were well aware of the brewing situation.

Narrating the incident, they said that a mob was assembled and a pre-planned organised attack against the Christian community was carried out – "whilst throughout the ordeal the Punjab Police and the law enforcement agencies, whose job otherwise was to ensure fair investigation and due process in determining the veracity of the blasphemy allegation, remained silent spectators to the cruelty inflicted upon our minority brothers and sisters".

Read: Over 100 held for vandalising churches

“We are appalled at the statement given by the IG Punjab whereby he has termed those resorting to this sheer act of terrorism and vandalism as ‘protestors’ and instead of lodging an FIR against them and arresting them, he has claimed to be ‘negotiating’ with them,” they said.

They alleged that the state’s failure to ensure due process, address and control growing radicalism and incidents of extra-judicial retribution and mob violence following a blasphemy allegation- is baffling, to say the least.

Catholic Archdiocese of Karachi

The Catholic Church also strongly condemned the burning and destruction of churches and homes of the Christians in Jaranwala.

In a statement, it said that: “with the great shock and disbelief after celebrating the Independence Day, where we were reminded that Pakistan belongs to all Pakistanis, we have once again been confronted with open hatred and uncontrollable rage shown towards the Christian community in the atrocities that has taken place at Jaranwala.”

Archbishop of Karachi Benny Travas said: “As Archbishop of Karachi and head of the Catholic Christian community resident in Karachi, I just cannot comprehend how my people would show disrespect to any religion or to any religious books.”

He further said: “We as a Christian community have time and again displayed our fidelity to the nation of Pakistan yet incidents like the burning Christian homes in Gojra, Shantinagar, Joseph Colony, and now Jaranwala shows that we are in reality second-class citizens that can be terrorised and frightened at will.”