[Islamabad] Pakistan designated Friday as a day of condemnation in response to the Jaranwala tragedy and to express solidarity with the Christian community.
On August 16, after it was rumored the Quran had been desecrated, anti-Christian riots erupted in the city of Jaranwala, located 160 miles from the federal capital of Islamabad. The mobs vandalized churches, a Christian cemetery, and government buildings and set homes on fire. This caused several hundred members of the Christian community to flee their homes.
Loudspeakers of mosques were used to provoke the religious sentiments of people, and the mob demanded the arrest and handover of the accused to them to avenge the alleged blasphemy.
According to official sources, people have also been arrested for making announcements in mosques and stirring religious feelings against the Christian population.
Following the incident, Pakistani Muslim clerics and scholars called to observe nationwide solidarity with the Christian community on Friday.
During the Friday sermons, imams and clerics across the country denounced the shocking desecration incidents of worship places in Jaranwala. Imams resolutely branded those who were inciting violence as enemies of Islam and Pakistan. During the speeches, Imams claimed that the tragedy harmed the image of Islam and Muslims around the world.
Meanwhile, to express solidarity with the Christian community after the blasphemy riots, senior judge and designated chief justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa paid a visit to Christian Colony on Saturday.
Isa’s visit was quite a surprise for the Christian community. He arrived in Christian Colony Jaranwala without any elaborate security and protocol. He and his wife visited the Christian Colony and met the Christian victims. They also visited burnt churches, houses, and streets.
The couple expressed sympathy with the victims and expressed grief over their losses. Qazi Faez Isa assured them of justice.
“If a mob attacks a church, Muslims must wage Jihad against the insurgents,” Isa said. “You have the same right to build a church as a Muslim has to build a mosque, there is no discrimination, no favoritism, this is your full right, and the most important duty of Muslims is to help you.”
Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir described the Jaranwala incident as “completely intolerable.”
While addressing a ceremony at the Armed Forces Media Wing of the Rawalpindi Garrison, Munir said: “Such episodes of intolerance and aggressive behavior by any element of society against anyone, particularly against minorities, have no place.”
Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Punjab Police Inspector General Usman Anwar both pledged to apprehend those responsible for the assaults on the Christian community. Naqvi stated during a press conference on Saturday that the provincial government was taking steps to prevent such incidents.
Meanwhile, Anwar met with survivors being housed at government-run institutions in Faisalabad and delivered food packets to them. He assured the Christian community that they would be safe, and said that all those involved in the violent conduct would be held accountable.
During an interview with international media, Anwar said: “The accused are in the custody of the Counter Terror Department and more than 130 persons have been arrested in connection with the case so far. … It has been decided to repair the churches, recompense the affected houses, and resume worship within the next 72 hours.”
Anwar later said in a video message that “psychological rehabilitation and counseling would be provided to women and children, while men would return to work,” adding “children from affected families will be admitted to government-run police schools.”
After the tragedy of Jaranwala, life returned to normal in the city. The affected Christian families have started returning home. Apart from the government and private institutions that were closed after the tragedy, all the educational institutions have also been open since Saturday. Two companies of Rangers were put on standby to maintain law and order in the city.
According to police, two Christian brothers have been arrested on alleged blasphemy charges.
Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive subject in Pakistan since numerous extremist groups have publicly executed people on the basis of blasphemy. Blasphemy against any recognized religion is punishable by a fine or execution under Pakistan’s Penal Code.
Christians make up roughly 2% of Pakistan’s population. Jaranwala is home to about 5,000 Christians, most of whom work as sewage cleaners for very low wages.
Saeedain Khan, a Rawalpindi-based law practitioner at The Federal Sharia Court Islamabad, told The Media Line: “The penalty for contempt of the Holy Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is death under state law. … The state constitution, on the other hand, forbids blasphemy against any recognized religion, including Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, as well.”
“Any citizen, regardless of religion, who insults any holy personality of another religion will face the same laws,” Khan added.
A 50-member delegation from the Pakistan Islamic Clerics Council, International Interfaith Harmony Council, Churches of Pakistan, and Catholic Church of Pakistan jointly visited Jaranwala and reviewed the burned churches and Christian dwellings.
Allama Tahir Ashrafi, the chairman of the Islamic Clerics Council, told The Media Line: “To review the tragedy from all aspects and to supervise the restoration and rehabilitation work, a 20-member combined commission has been formed.”
Allama Hafiz Abdul Khabir, a leading scholar and the chairman of the Federal Moon Sighting Committee, told The Media Line: “Islam requires the strict protection of minorities’ rights. It was everyone’s compulsion to preserve these rights and substitute an environment of respect and coexistence.”
Khabir urged that “those found involved in vandalism should face severe consequences to discourage alike activities in the future.”
Islamabad-based Pastor Ilyas Joseph Gill told The Media Line: “The Jaranwala catastrophe was a sorrowful event in which the Christian minority suffered greatly, and as a result, the identity of Pakistan and Islam has been harmed globally.”
Gill added: “Such acts not only cause immeasurable pain to the affected Christian community but also undermine the essence of mutual respect and understanding that should exist among diverse religious communities.”
“Side by side, a remarkable gesture also emerged that the heinous act has been strongly condemned by Muslim scholars and almost all Muslims across the country,” Gill said. “Extremism practiced by adherents of any religion is abhorrent.”