Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Wednesday that he was “gutted by the visuals coming out of Jaranwala, Faisalabad”, and promised stern action against those who violated the law and targeted minorities.
“All law enforcement has been asked to apprehend culprits & bring them to justice. Rest assured that the government of Pakistan stands with our citizenry on an equal basis,” he said in a post on the microblogging website X - formerly known as Twitter.
The interim prime minister’s statement comes after a crowd attacked a Christian community in eastern Pakistan on Wednesday, vandalising several churches and setting scores of houses on fire after accusing its members of desecrating the Holy Quran.
According to Reuters, the incident took place in Jaranwala town of the industrial district of Faisalabad, police spokesman Naveed Ahmad said. A violent crowd had attacked the community after two Christians were accused of blasphemy, he said.
The area was cordoned off as police tried to negotiate with the crowd.
One main church and a number of smaller ones had been vandalised, he said.
Dozens of people were blocking a nearby highway.
The local administration called in paramilitary troops to handle the violent crowd and bring the situation under control, according to a government order seen by Reuters.
A Christian leader, Akmal Bhatti, said the crowd had torched at least five churches and looted valuables from houses that had been abandoned by their owners after clerics made announcements in mosques inciting the mob.
Several social media posts showed some churches on fire as well as houses and belongings.
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