Christians attacked in Pakistan’s Sargodha for ‘blasphemy’

On Saturday, at least ten members of a minority Christian community were rescued in eastern Pakistan after a Muslim mob attacked their settlement over allegations of blasphemy, according to police and a community leader.

The mob, accusing the Christian group of desecrating the Koran, pelted police with stones and bricks, said Shariq Kamal, the police chief of Sargodha district.

Protesters reportedly set fire to one house and a small shoe factory after neighbors claimed a member of the Christian community had desecrated the Muslim holy book, according to a police spokesperson and Akmal Bhatti, a Christian leader. “One house was burned,” Bhatti said, adding that several Christians suffered severe beatings.

Police cordoned off the settlement with a significant deployment, managing to push back the crowd. One injured Christian was hospitalized and later declared in stable condition, Kamal reported. Authorities arrested 25 protesters, while 11 police officers sustained injuries during the rescue operation.

By late evening, the situation had calmed, with leaders from both communities urging peace, according to police.

A Christian rights group, Minority Rights March, claimed a 70-year-old man accused of blasphemy was dragged and beaten by the mob. The group alleged that police failed to intervene, though authorities denied the claim. Videos circulated on social media showed items being looted from burning properties and piled onto street fires, which Bhatti confirmed as authentic.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed grave concern, stating the Christian community was “at grave risk to their lives at the hands of charged mobs.”

Blasphemy remains a highly sensitive issue in Pakistan, where accusations often incite mob violence. Human rights groups criticize the country’s strict blasphemy laws, arguing they are frequently exploited for personal vendettas. Although blasphemy carries the death penalty in Pakistan, the state has never executed anyone for the offense. However, numerous accused individuals have fallen victim to mob lynchings.

Last year, a similar incident saw a Muslim mob attack a Christian settlement in eastern Pakistan, vandalizing churches and torching numerous homes over blasphemy allegations against two community members.