The affected Christian community from Joseph Colony refused to accept food provided by the Punjab government, saying their houses and properties had been burnt down and the food being provided now is equivalent to poison. The level of resentment was soaring high as people started returning to witness what was left of their homes and assets. Women were crying, children confounded and many others in a state of complete shock. Religious leaders such as Tahir Ashrafi, Hafiz Saeed and Badshahi Masjid’s Abdul Khabeer Azad condemned the mob violence saying even if one person had committed a wrong; the whole community should not have suffered the consequences. Sunni Ittehad Council leader Fazal Karim said the incident had disrespected and insulted Islam. Protests were held in almost all major cities of the country to denounce the incident and to raise a voice for the minorities of the country. In Karachi, the protest gathering turned violent when the police resorted to ‘lathi charge’ at Esa Nagri.
The burning and subsequent looting of Joseph colony is deeply saddening. i am ashamed as a muslim of what has happened. i pray to the religious leaders named in this article and people to come out, visit the affectees and as a nation let us get together provide relief to these equal citizens of pakistan as we mobilized in the face of floods. We have to prove that what the miscreants did has no relevance to the noble teachings of muhammad saww.
It is good to hear that leaders of the Muslim majority are speaking out for our Christian brothers and sisters. I hope they continue to speak out from the pulpit as well.
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