Christians attacked in Pakistan’s Sargodha for ‘blasphemy’ | World News

At least 10 members of a minority Christian community were rescued on Saturday after their settlement in east Pakistan was attacked by a Muslim mob over allegations of blasphemy, police and a community leader said.

The crowd, accusing the Christian group of blasphemy, also threw stones and bricks at police, said Shariq Kamal, Sargodha district police chief.

At least one house and a small shoe factory were set on fire by protesters who had gathered after neighbors claimed that Islam’s holy book, the Koran, had been desecrated by a member of a minority community, according to a police spokesman and Christian leader Akmal Bhatti.

“They burned down a house” and several Christians were severely beaten, Bhatti said.

A large police presence cordoned off the settlement, Kamal said, adding that the crowd had been pushed back. A member of the Christian community who was taken to hospital was later reported to be in stable condition.

About 25 of the protesters were arrested, police officer Assad Malhi said, adding that 11 police officers were injured during the operation to rescue members of the Christian community from the crowd.

The situation calmed down late in the evening and politicians from both sides called for peace, police said.

A Christian human rights group – Minority Rights March – said a 70-year-old man accused of blasphemy was beaten and dragged away by the mob.

It was said that video footage showed that the police did not intervene. The police have denied this claim.

Videos posted on social media show protesters looting items from burning buildings, while others can be seen throwing the items into a pile on the fire on a street.

Bhatti said the videos were images from the crime scene.

Reuters could not independently verify the images.

Pakistan’s independent human rights commission said the Christian community was “in grave danger of death from the attacking mobs.”

Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, with its conservative Muslim majority. A mere accusation can lead to a lynching on the street.

Human rights groups say Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws are often abused to settle personal scores.

Although blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan, no one has ever been executed for it. However, numerous defendants have been lynched by angry mobs.

Last year, a Muslim mob attacked a Christian community in East Pakistan, vandalising several churches and setting fire to numerous houses after accusing two of its members of desecrating the Koran.