Karachi:
Dozens of Pakistani Christians have protested in Karachi, hours
after mobs ransacked a Christian neighborhood in Lahore and
torched dozens of homes.
Mobs on Saturday caused widespread damage in the eastern
Pakistani city after hearing reports that a Christian man had
committed blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him),
according to a police officer.
The group of Christians in Karachi
said the Punjab provincial government should have given the
Christian community more protection in Lahore following the
allegations of blasphemy.
"It's very very sad and that's why I
want to appeal to the government; please look into the matter and
see also that the people who are affected, their properties are
burnt," Father Peter John, from the Saint Patrick Church in
Karachi, said. "They should also get some sort of compensation."
Blasphemy is a serious crime in Pakistan that can carry the death
penalty, but sometimes outraged residents exact their own
retribution for perceived insults of the prophet.
On Friday night, a large crowd from
a nearby mosque went to the home of the Christian man in Lahore
accused of insulting the prophet, and police took the man into
custody to try to pacify the crowd.
Fearing for their safety, hundreds
of Christian families fled the area overnight. Police said the mob
returned on Saturday and began ransacking Christian homes and
setting them ablaze.
The police spokesperson said no one
in the Christian community was hurt, but several policemen were
injured when they were hit with stones as they tried to keep the
crowd from storming the area.
Pakistan is overwhelmingly Sunni
Muslim, with Christians making up around two percent of the
population.
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