Key Points
- Authorities have arrested 129 people following a mob attacks on Christian churches and homes.
- The violence was sparked by an allegation that a Quran had been defaced by two Christian men.
- Pakistan government pledged swift restoration and compensation for those who were affected.
Government officials said on Thursday that all of the damaged churches and homes would be restored within a week and those who suffered losses would be compensated.
On Thursday, Rizwan Khan, the regional police chief, said 129 suspects had been arrested and the situation was under control.
Members of Christian groups and others demonstrate to condemn the attack on a Christian area and a burned church by an angry Muslim mob in Karachi, Pakistan, 16 August 2023. Source: AAP / Fareed Khan
The rampage started after some local Muslims claimed they had seen a local Christian and his friend tearing out pages from a Quran, throwing them on the ground and writing insulting remarks on other pages.
Police say they are trying to detain the man, who fled into hiding, to determine whether he desecrated Islam’s holy book.
Under the country’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam or Islamic religious figures can be sentenced to death. While authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy, often just an accusation can cause riots and incite mobs to violence, lynchings and killings.
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