Real estate interests in a “land mafia” may have been behind an attack on Christians by a 3000-strong mob which burnt 180 homes and two churches in a Christian quarter of Lahore, according to Pakistan’s Minister of State for Harmony.
In a motion presented in the federal senate, the minister, Akram Masih Gill, who is a Catholic, said the attack on the city’s Joseph Colony may have been instigated by a “land mafia” that wants to take possession of the area to promote real estate projects.
The attack was sparked by a dispute in which a Muslim man, Shafiq Ahmed, accused sanitary worker Sawan Masih, a Christian man in his 20s, of making defamatory comments against the prophet Mohammed, a crime punishable by death according to Pakistan’s penal code.
Bishop Sebastian Shaw, OFM, apostolic administrator of Lahore archdiocese, said the Pakistan government knew two days before about the threat of the attack happening, but failed to act.
Speaking from the scene of the devastation, Bishop Shaw said the attack was “well organised” and could have been averted by adequate police protection.
The mob “used chemicals which only the army and other agencies have,” he said. “People are very, very angry and sad. They are sad because they have lived together with the rest of the community for a long, long time. Now they are asking: ‘Why is this happening to us?’ ”
Raja Asif, a Christian sanitation worker who has lived in the area for 35 years, said a large police contingent only looked on, fingering their weapons but not taking a step forward to stop the mobs from destroying the Christians’ homes.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari responded to the attack by announcing $6100 compensation for the victims, including rebuilding their homes.
Bishop Shaw said: “Even this amount of money will not heal the wounds and psychological fears of the people.”
Sources:
Image: Dawn.com
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