Muslims arrested in Pakistan for attacking Christian men

Police in eastern Pakistan have arrested dozens of Muslim men and charged them with attacking a Christian father and his son and accusing them of desecrating pages of Islam’s holy book, officials said on Monday.

The mob went on a rampage on Saturday after local residents saw burnt pages of the Koran outside the house of the two Christians. They accused the son of being behind it. The two men had set fire to their house and shoe factory in the city of Sargodha in Punjab province, said police chief Asad Ijaz Malhi. They also beat up the son.

Malhi said police rescued the two injured men and took them to a hospital where their condition was stable. At least 33 men were arrested after several police raids.

Authorities are searching for other people who may have been involved in the attack, he said.

Local residents and police reported that the fire completely destroyed the factory and parts of the house.

Punjab police said in a statement that they had increased security around churches.

Blasphemy accusations are widespread in Pakistan, and under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. While no one has ever been executed on such charges, a mere accusation can often spark riots and incite mobs to violence, lynchings and murder.

However, the recent violence brought back memories of one of the worst attacks on Christians in Pakistan in August 2023, when thousands of people set fire to churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala, a district in Punjab province.

Muslim residents also claimed at the time that they had seen two men desecrating the Koran.