After the incident of a blatant disrespect of the Holy Quran in Jaranwala, Faisalabad (S.I.E.), inflamed protesters carried out an attack on a Christian neighborhood, setting fire to four houses and causing destruction. Additionally, apart from the Christ Church Colony, government buildings were also vandalized and damaged. Authorities state that the situation in the city is currently tense, and Rangers have been requested to maintain control. An official from the district administration informed the media that this series of protests began on Wednesday morning when information about the explicit desecration of Quranic pages by a few youths in the Esa Nagar area started circulating on social media and in the city. As a result, a group of agitated individuals gathered near Cinema Chowk around 9 AM. According to the international news agency BBC Urdu, an official stated that this agitated mob caused damage to two Gurja Ghar houses. The first attack targeted a church in Esa Nagar, and further away, about a kilometer, another church near the telephone exchange was also targeted. The official mentioned that Jaranwala is a small town where the Christian population makes up around five percent, most of whom reside in Esa Nagar. The homes of these individuals were also targeted by the mob, resulting in vandalism and arson. After this incident, Asif Shaukat Masih, who had been removed from his position, contacted BBC Urdu over the phone and reported, “Between 8 AM and 9 AM, we received information from the agitated protesters that there were demonstrations and fires being set in Esa Nagar.” He explained that “the agitated demonstrators are carrying weapons, and an attack was also launched against AC Jaranwala’s office by a group.” Authorities are currently attempting to control the situation, and around 150 young Rangers personnel from Lahore are on their way to Jaranwala.
