Punjab caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday vowed to restore within three to four days all the churches and Christians’ homes that were ransacked and torched during the Jaranwala violence a day earlier.
On Wednesday, a violent mob of hundreds had ransacked and torched five churches while also attacking the residences of members of the Christian community.
As per police and local sources, the violence erupted after some locals alleged that several desecrated pages of the Holy Quran had been found near a house at Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala, where two Christian brothers resided.
In light of the situation, the district administration has imposed Section 144 for seven days, prohibiting all kinds of assembly, except for events organised by the government. Meanwhile, the Punjab government ordered the formation of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the incident, in line with directives issued by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq.
Separately, in a statement issued late on Wednesday night, Punjab police said it had made over 100 arrests while the Jaranwala police booked over 600 people in two terror cases. Addressing a meeting on Thursday, which was attended by religious leaders of the Christian community, Naqvi condemned yesterday’s violence and asserted that such incidents were anti-Islam and against the teachings of the Holy Prophet.
