NEW DELHI: In a disturbing incident in Pakistan’s Punjab province, over 450 individuals have been charged and 25 arrested following a mob attack on members of the Christian minority and police officers in the Sargodha district, approximately 200 kilometers from Lahore. The violent episode occurred on Saturday, incited by radical Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activists, who accused Nazir Masih, an elderly Christian, of desecrating a religious book.
The mob besieged Masih’s residence and his shoe factory, setting fire to the factory, nearby shops, and houses. The mob also attempted to brutally torch Masih himself. Fortunately, a large police contingent intervened just in time, saving the lives of Masih and ten other members of the Christian community.
The First Information Report (FIR) revealed that the mob attacked police officers with stones when they tried to disperse the crowd using baton charges, resulting in injuries to at least ten policemen, including officers.
“It also brutally torched Masih but timely arrival of a heavy contingent of police saved the life of Masih and 10 other members of the Christian community,” the FIR stated.
The police confirmed there was no loss of life in the mob attack, and the situation in the city has been brought under control.
“There was no loss of life in the mob attack. More than ten police officers and personnel have been injured due to stone pelting by the angry people. The police risked their lives to rescue the families and pulled them out of the crowd. Thanks to the timely action of the police, Sargodha is spared a great tragedy,” the police statement said.
Nazir Masih has been transferred to the Combined Military Hospital in Sargodha for treatment. The police have stated that if found guilty of desecrating the religious book, a case will be filed against him. Currently, over 2,000 policemen have been deployed in Sargodha’s Mujahid Colony to maintain law and order.
Ifran Gill Masih, a relative of Nazir Masih, mentioned that his uncle had recently returned from Dubai after four years and was falsely accused of desecration by some people in the locality. The Christian families saved their lives by locking themselves inside their houses during the mob attack. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed serious concern over the situation, stating that the Christian community in Gillwala village is at grave risk of violence from the charged mobs.
This incident echoes a similar attack last year in Jaranwala tehsil, Faisalabad district, where at least 24 churches and over 80 houses belonging to Christians were burned down by a mob angered by reports of two Christians desecrating the Quran.
