A report finds recent riots against Pakistani Christians were likely motivated by hatred.
Recent riots against Pakistani Christians were likely motivated by hatred.
An investigation discovered that the August riots in Jaranwala, Pakistan, were not spontaneous but planned as part of a more extensive campaign against local Christians.
On August 16, 2023, at least 24 churches, several dozen smaller chapels, and scores of houses in Jaranwala were torched, looted, or destroyed in mob-led attacks against the local Christian community.
The HRCP found videos of a religious-political party inciting violence in different areas of Jaranwala. The report also shows that there could be more significant political and social motives behind the attack on Jaranwala. However, not all local authorities agree with the HRCP report, believing India is to blame. The Punjab Police Inspector General stated at a press conference that the riots in Jaranwala and the desecration of the Quran in Sargodha, Pakistan, were evidence of a “foreign conspiracy” by India to detract from its mistreatment of Christians.
The police officer showed an article about the mistreatment of Christian women in Manipur, India, and a news report about injustices against Muslims and other minorities in India. “We have busted the anti-Pakistan network,” he said. We hope that there won’t be any more incidents like this in the future. He did not say why Christians in Jaranwala were arrested or whether they were suspected of being “agents” of the neighboring country.
“We found” the neighboring country.
The police stated that the two arrested individuals in Sargodha had connections to a hostile agency, suggesting a conspiracy involving the enemy country. “The hostile agency hatched a well-thought-out and coordinated conspiracy to divert attention from their country towards Pakistan.”
The President of the Church of Pakistan, Bishop Azad Marshall, dismissed the police chief’s claim as ridiculous and accused them of covering up the facts. These police statements insinuate that poor Christians are spies, which is dangerous for the community.
The senior church leader filed a petition in court for a thorough investigation, justice, and protection for Christians. “The Jaranwala incident could have been prevented if appropriate steps were taken to prevent attacks in Shantinagar, Gojra, and Joseph Colony in the past, but it seems our state isn’t interested in addressing the root cause that leads to such senseless violence,” he said.
Human Rights Defender and Executive Director of the Center for Social Justice (CSJ), Peter Jacob, was a part of the HRCP investigation. He commented on the police investigation into the Jaranwala incident and raised concerns about the lack of clarity regarding several of the recent police reports filed. Peter labeled the Indian conspiracy allegation from the police as a typical political statement.
“If this was a foreign conspiracy and there were no locals involved, then the police must apologize to the Christian community, as they were unable to apprehend this conspiracy,” Jacob stated.
He emphasized that radicalization and religious intolerance in Pakistan are deep-seated issues independent of external events. To tackle these problems, Jacob highlighted the need to address internal factors, including policing and reforms that inadvertently fuel religious hatred and extremism. In the fight against religious-based violence in Pakistan, Jacob called on authorities to examine the societal factors contributing to growing extremism and religious intolerance. To prevent the misuse of blasphemy laws, he urged the Pakistani government to prioritize addressing gaps in the legal framework surrounding these laws.
Reports indicate that Pakistan saw at least 57 registered blasphemy cases from January to May 2023. The highest number of cases—28—were recorded in the province of Punjab. In 2022, the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) reported that between 1947 and 2021, they extrajudicially killed 18 women and 71 men over blasphemy accusations. Since 2011, nearly 1,300 people have been accused of blasphemy.
Global Christian Relief (GCR) is America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. GCR equips the Western church to help the oppressed and support persecuted Christians in restrictive countries.
Global Christian Relief(GCR) is America’s leading watchdog organization focused on the plight of persecuted Christians worldwide. In addition to equipping the Western church to advocate and pray for the oppressed, GCR works in the most restrictive countries to protect and encourage Christians threatened by faith-based discrimination and violence.
