Daily Times

The US called on Pakistan on Wednesday to investigate mob attacks on churches and Christian homes in Faisalabad’s Jaranwala, which erupted amid blasphemy allegations.

Earlier in the day, hundreds of men invaded a mostly Christian neighbourhood on the outskirts of the industrial city, claiming that the Holy Quran had been desecrated.

“We are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

He said that while the United States backed free expression, “violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression.”

“We urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm,” he said.

In Muslim-majority Pakistan, anyone found to have insulted Islam or Islamic icons faces the death penalty.

According to critics, rumours of insults to Islam are frequently spread in order to settle scores with non-Muslims.

The anti-Christian violence is the newest source of turmoil in the world’s fifth-most populous country, where a little-known senator, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, was sworn in as caretaker prime minister on Monday to oversee elections.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken congratulated Kakar in a post on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday.

“As Pakistan prepares for free and fair elections, in accordance with its constitution and the rights to freedom of speech and assembly, we will continue to advance our shared commitment to economic prosperity,” Blinken said.

Kakar, who earlier promised “stern action” against the Faisalabad attackers, thanked Blinken in his own post on X.

“The interim government will be assiduously working to facilitate a free and fair election process in Pakistan,” his post said.

“We place importance on our partnership with the US and deeply value the shared commitment to economic prosperity, democracy and stability in the region,” added Kakar.

Pakistan has been rocked by insecurity since Imran Khan, the country’s most popular politician, was deposed as prime minister and later imprisoned on corruption accusations, which his supporters see as an attempt to remove him from government.

Khan has accused the US of seeking to destabilise him, charges that Washington firmly denies, claiming that it disagrees with Khan on policy.