- Tanveer Abbas Web Desk
- 4 Hours ago
How Jaranwala incident unfolded? top police officer reveals
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- Web Desk Abobakar Khan
- Oct 13, 2023
ISLAMABAD: In a startling revelation, a senior police officer on Friday told the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights that the Jaranwala incident on August 16 unfolded as a result of a personal grudge between two members of the Christian community.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Ali Zia, who also holds additional charge at the Central Police Office (CPO) in Jaranwala city, explained to the committee that one individual, Parvez Masih, harboured suspicions regarding his wife’s alleged illicit relations with another man named Umair Saleem.
According to SSP Zia, Parvez Masih subsequently made an attempt on Umair’s life by hiring an assassin, providing financial incentive, and furnishing a motorcycle for the intended murder.
When the assassination attempt failed, according to the police officer, Parvez Masih allegedly conspired to desecrate the Holy Quran by showing Umair’s family pictures and an insulting letter on a torn page of the holy book.
The police officer further said that this incident led to riots, with some agitators inciting the masses through announcements, ultimately transforming them into an unruly mob. During the riots, the agitators caused extensive damage to churches and homes belonging to the Christian community, he said.
He said that case (1258) was registered against the accused including Umair Saleem and Amir Saleem at the Jaranwala city police station.
LHC expresses dissatisfaction over Punjab govt report into Jaranwala tragedy
A comprehensive report on the Jaranwala incident, obtained by the Hum Investigation Team, indicates that the perpetrators set 23 churches and 86 houses ablaze.
Notably, four churches were damaged by the fire in Chak 126 GB, three churches and 40 houses were set on fire in Essa Nagri, and two churches and 29 houses were set on fire in Christian Colony. Additionally, two churches and five houses were burned in Chak GB, and two churches in Mohalla Mehra Wala suffered the same fate.
The report further discloses that the initial police response included the registration of an FIR against 125 individuals, with 118 of them subsequently arrested, and their physical remand obtained through the courts.
In an effort to compensate the victims, the caretaker minister for human rights disbursed Rs2 million to each of the 94 affected families.
The report also highlights that 22 churches incurred damages amounting to Rs29.1 million due to mob vandalism, and 91 houses were destroyed in the violence, resulting in losses of Rs38.5 million.
Furthermore, the report reveals that FIRs were filed against 1,432 individuals under various sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, with 128 of them detained.
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