Pak: Over 600 booked in 2 terror cases over Jaranwala violence

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 17 (ANI): A day after the arrest of over 100 people in connection to their alleged involvement in riots targeting Christians in Pakistan's Faisalabad, Jaranwala police of the Faisalabad District on Thursday said that they have registered two terror cases against 600 people for ransacking and torching Christians' homes and a church building a day ago, reported Dawn. 
Multiple churches were vandalised in the Jaranwala district of Pakistan's Faisalabad on Wednesday over blasphemy allegations, Pakistan-based Dawn reported citing officials. Moreover, the residents of the members of the Christian community were also attacked. 
A Christian cemetery and the office of the local assistant commissioner were also vandalized during the attack. To handle the violence, the Punjab government called in Rangers while 3,000 police personnel from various police units including the Elite Force were also deployed, Dawn reported. 
According to the police, the violence erupted after some locals alleged that several desecrated pages of the Holy Quran were found near the house of two Christian brothers at Cinema Chowk in Jaranwala. 
The district administration has however imposed Section 144 for a week, prohibiting all kinds of assemblies and gatherings, except for government events. 
Moreover, the Punjab government also demanded the formation of a high-level inquiry committee to investigate the incident as directed by Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq. 
According to Dawn, one of the criminal complaints states that a mob of 500-600, led by a group of people, “attacked the Christian community, ransacked people’s homes after entering them and torched Christians’ homes and the church building”.
It identified eight people as leading the mob, one of whom is allegedly affiliated with the Jamaat Ahl-e-Sunnat and another with the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Dawn reported. 
The FIR invoked sections pertaining to “punishment for acts of terrorism” — of the Anti-Terrorism Act, of 1997.
According to the FIR, the mob "threw out people’s belongings from their homes and started setting them on fire." The suspects also “entered a Catholic church, destroyed the things there, and damaged and torched its building”, it added.
The complaint further stated that subsequently, a police contingent arrived there from Faisalabad headquarters and launched tear gas, “forcing the crowd to disperse," reported Dawn. 
Moreover, the cop further said that he along with other officials were at Fawara Chowk at 9:30 am when they heard an announcement on the mosque's loudspeaker regarding an incident of blasphemy and inciting people for violence.   
Following that, around 500-600 people gathered in front of the mosque and were armed with sticks, canes and rods and started shouting slogans. The mob then incited to attack the homes and churches of the Christian community. 
The officials added that the police party tried to stop the mob but they resisted and started forcefully entering homes of the Christian community and setting churches ablaze, reported Dawn. 
Meanwhile, the backup arrived and sprayed tear gas to disperse the violent mob while 29 of them were taken into custody, out of which 12 have been named in the FIR. 
Additionally, the Faisalabad deputy commissioner issued an order yesterday stating a "local holiday" in the Jaranwala tehsil on Thursday due to the "law and order exigency" in the area. 
“All government department[s] and private institutions will remain closed,” the copy said, according to Dawn. (ANI)