Armed attack against Christian church and residents in Punjab village
Lahore (AsiaNews) At least 30 armed Muslims attacked a Protestant church and Christian houses in Mominpura Thaiki, a village near Sharaqpur, 35 kilometres from Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab. The violent attack took place last Saturday around 10 pm (local time). When they left, the thugs took away a man, Bashir Masih, who is still missing.
Joseph Francis, who coordinates the Centre for legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), told AsiaNews that the armed gang, which came from another village, threw a hand grenade into the church causing the collapse of its roof and some of its walls.
They set ablaze two houses near the church, desecrated holy books, beat up Christian men, children and women and torn off their clothes and also took valuables from the church.
Before they left, they abducted Bashir Masih and stole 25 cattle heads. Bashir, who lives in the house adjacent to the church, had tried to resist the attackers. As a result, they injured him critically and ransacked his house.
CLAAS coordinator Francis said a number of Christian women fled the village while others took shelter in Muslims' houses. The local Muslims, who own about 10 houses in about 65-house Christian village, took their weapons out to rescue the Christian women and children. They opened fire at the attackers and forced them to flee.
This incident is not the first one to affect the village. Last August 7 a similar incident occurred, but the police failed to intervene.
Muslim landlord Mehr Yaqoob is behind the violence. For years he has been trying the grab the village land, going so far as forging sales documents. Residents however have reacted through the courts.
In the August 7 incident Yaqoob and armed men attacked the village at 10:00 am (local time), firing shots and injuring three Christians. The next day a resident filed complaints against him at the Sharaqpur police station, but the authorities did not arrest him and or any of his accomplices. On August 12, the accused attacked the village again.
Inayat Masih, a local Christian, is the plaintiff in the case. He made an official complaint against 14 known and 15 unknown people.
Instead of arresting any of them, the police took into custody two people not named in the original charges for sheltering the attackers.
After further complaints, Sheikhupura District Police Officer Aslam Tareen suspended Sharaqpur police station's Station House Officer Muhammad Ibrahim for negligence.
Mr Francis said that an inquiry is underway by a new investigating team and that police sent a dozen constables to protect the village against other possible attacks.
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15/10/2018 11:11
