The Pakistani police have arrested two main suspects in the case of attacks on 21 churches and nearly three dozen houses of minority Christians over allegations of blasphemy, said Punjab's caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Prior to their arrests, the police had arrested at least 140 people and registered five cases on Thursday.
In an unprecedented string of attacks, 21 churches and nearby three dozen homes of minority Christian community were attacked by the majority Muslim community members over blasphemy allegations in Jaranwala town of Faisalabad district. The churches were ransacked and burnt.
The main suspect has been identified as Muhammad Yasin, reported PTI, adding that he was identified through a video in which he was seen making an announcement on loudspeakers of mosques to incite Muslims against Christians.
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The members of the extremist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) were also among those arrested in connection with the violence, reported PTI.
Naqvi praised the efforts of the Punjab chief secretary and inspector general of police after the two prime suspects' arrest. He said both of them played a key role in ensuring the arrests of the key suspects.
He tweeted, "Major breakthrough in the Jaranwala Incident – both main accused now in CTD Custody. Appreciation for Chief Secretary Punjab and IG Punjab for their relentless efforts."
In a separate post on Friday, Naqvi wrote that mosques across Pakistan's Punjab province will have Friday sermons focussing on the rights of minorities.
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He said, "Today Friday's sermons across Punjab will focus on the Rights of Minorities, teachings from the Holy Quran and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)...Amid challenging times, let's emphasise that such incidents should not be coloured by religion. Interfaith harmony is among the basic teachings of Islam. Grateful to religious scholars for their patience and support in unmasking those seeking to disrupt our nation's peace."
The Jaranwala incident evoked widespread condemnation with national leaders and international organisations calling for justice for the people whose homes and places of worship were ransacked and destroyed, noted PTI.
Army chief General Asim Munir on Thursday termed the incident "extremely tragic and totally intolerable" and pledged that perpetrators involved in the attacks will be brought to justice.
"There is no space for such incidents of intolerance and extreme behaviour by any segment of the society against anyone, particularly against minorities," Munir was quoted as saying..
US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said the Joe Biden administration was "deeply concerned" over the targeting of churches and homes in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan.
"We urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm," said Patel.
Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi apologised for the Jaranwala violence and reaffirmed the commitment to protect “our Christian brothers”, the Dawn newspaper reported.
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Amnesty International has demanded that the “authorities must ensure [the] protection of the minority Christian community”.
In Pakistan, blasphemy allegations often result in violence against minority Hindus and Christians. The offence carries a death a death penalty as well. Accusations alone can often cause riots and lynchings.
"Minorities including Christians and Hindus have been frequently subjected to blasphemy allegations and some tried and even sentenced under blasphemy in Pakistan," notes PTI.
International reports have often noted the attacks on minorities and forced conversions and sexual assaults of minority community girls and women.
"In 2022, Pakistan’s religious freedom conditions continued to innocence. That same month, an angry mob in Punjab Province deteriorate. Religious minorities were subject to frequent attacks and threats, including accusations of blasphemy, targeted kill- ings, lynchings, mob violence, forced conversions, sexual violence against women and girls, and desecration of houses of worship and cemeteries. Members of the Shi’a Muslim, Ahmadiyya Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Sikh communities faced the continued threat of persecution via harsh and discriminatory legislation, such as anti-Ahmadiyya and blasphemy laws, as well as increasingly aggres- sive societal discrimination amid a rise in radical Islamist influence," says US Commission on International Religious Freedom Report (2023).
