(): An elderly Christian man has succumbed to his injuries sustained during an attack by a mob led by a radical outfit following a blasphemy allegation last week in Pakistan’s Punjab province, police said on Monday.
An enraged mob led by radical Islamist Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activists on May 25 attacked Christian community members in Mujahid Colony in the Sargodha district of Punjab, some 200 km from Lahore, injuring two Christians and 10 policemen.The mob burned and ransacked the homes and properties of the Christians.
According to police, the mob surrounded the residence and shoe factory of Nazir Masih alias Lazar Masih, an elderly Christian, accusing him of desecration of the Quran. The mob attacked him with kicks and fists and hurled stones at him.
The enraged mob set fire to the shoe factory, some shops and a couple of houses.
Although the deceased’s family denied the desecration claims, they said the mob wanted to lynch him.“It also brutally torched Masih, but (the) timely arrival of (a) heavy contingent of police rescued Masih and 10 other members of the Christian community,” the FIR says.The FIR says that some pages of the holy Quran were reportedly found outside the shoe factory, instigating the locals.
“The enraged mob pelted stones at police personnel when they resorted to baton charge to disperse it. At least 10 policemen, including officers, have been injured,” the FIR says.
Police arrested a total of 140 suspects involved in attacking Christians, their properties and police personnel. Police booked over 450 people under terrorism and other charges.
Masih, who was receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Sargodha, died on Sunday, police said.
His nephew, Irfan Gill Masih, also confirmed the death, saying that his uncle’s body was being shifted back to Sargodha for a funeral.
According to the residents’ accounts recorded by a team led by the Cecil & Iris Chaudhry Foundation (CICF), the blasphemy charges brought up against Lazar Masih were a ‘consequence of a festering resentment between Lazar’s family and the local Muslim community over a drainage issue.”
In Pakistan, most blasphemy cases are registered primarily to settle some grudges between the complainant and accused parties.
Minorities, including Christians and Hindus, have been frequently subjected to blasphemy allegations and some tried and even sentenced under blasphemy in Pakistan.
Last year, at least 24 churches and over 80 houses belonging to Christians in Jaranwala tehsil of Faisalabad district, some 130 km from the provincial capital, were burnt down by a mob enraged over reports that two Christians had desecrated the Quran.
According to data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in 2021, there are 96.47 per cent Muslims in the country, followed by 2.14 per cent Hindus, 1.27 per cent Christians, 0.09 per cent Ahmadi Muslims and 0.02 per cent others.
