US State Department expresses concern over attacks on Christian community in Pakistan

The US State Department called on the authorities in Pakistan, seeking to restore calm, after a charged mob of around 7,000 people stormed a Christian colony in the Jaranwala Tehsil of Faisalabad district on Wednesday morning.

The United States, while expressing concern over the targeted attacks on churches, reportedly in response to the desecration of the Quran, asserted that violence or the threat of violence is never 'an acceptable form of expression', further urging Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into the matter.

“So we are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan. We support peaceful freedom of expression and the right to freedom of religion and belief for everybody. And as we have previously said, we are always concerned about incidents of religiously motivated violence,” US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at the state briefing.

He added, “Violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression, and we urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm for all of those involved."

Also read: Pakistan: Mob of thousands burns churches, attacks Christian colonies | Sequence of events

The Christian leaders in Pakistan claimed that during the incident, the police remained mute spectators and did not take any action.

As per Dawn reports, President Bishop of the Church of Pakistan Azad Marshall said Christians were being tortured and harassed.

He stated that he was seeking justice, further urging the authorities to take strict action against those behind the attack. Demanding the safety of the Christian community, he asked them to ensure that the lives of minorities are valued in their own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom.

Reportedly, over the past years, the minority communities in Pakistan have been a victim of a series of persecution and targeted attacks.

Last month, Naveed Walter, the President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan said that since the independence of the country in the year 1947, the population of minorities in Pakistan has plummeted from 23 per cent to 3 per cent.

In the month of June, a local court in Bahawalpur drew widespread criticism for sentencing a 22-year-old Christian youth, Noman Masih, to death on blasphemy charges, BNN Network reported. 

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