Paramilitary troops have cordoned off a Christian settlement in eastern Pakistan where a Muslim mob vandalised and torched several churches and scores of houses after accusing two of its residents of desecrating the Koran, police and witnesses said on Thursday.
took place in Jaranwala in the industrial district of Faisalabad on Wednesday, and continued for more than 10 hours without any intervention by police who were at the scene, residents and community leaders said. Police denied the accusation, saying security forces had prevented an even worse situation.The residents said thousands of Muslims led by local clerics were carrying iron rods, sticks, knives and daggers during the rioting.
The troops have cordoned off the Christian colony, blocking all entry and exit points with barbed wire, according to a Reuters TV cameraman. Blasphemy is punishable by death in Pakistan and although no one has ever been executed for it, many accused people have been lynched by outraged crowds. A former provincial governor and a minister for minorities have also been shot dead because of blasphemy accusations.
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