Mob storms Christian colony in Pakistan, attempts to torch Church

LAHORE: A mob rampaged through a Christian locality in this eastern Pakistani city and attempted to torch a Church after looting several houses following reports that a Christian man had allegedly committed blasphemy.

The mob vandalised the thickly-populated Sanda locality of the city last evening after police arrested a Christian man, Humayun Faisal Masih, under the blasphemy law on a complaint.

On the reports that police have arrested a suspected blasphemer, a number of people gathered outside the Ravi Road police station and demanded handing over the accused to them.

The police, however, refused and dispersed the mob which then headed to Masih's house in Sanda and looted his house and several other Christian houses.

"The Christians left their houses on the information that the mob was heading towards them. The mob looted several houses and torched the furniture and other household items after placing them on the road. It also tried to torch a Church in the locality," Christian leader Aslam Pervaiz Sahotra said.

He alleged that police reached the spot late.

Lahore senior police officer Haider Ashraf told reporters that the crowd was enraged and wanted to torch a Church but police controlled the situation.

The mob also pelted stones on police injuring about six policemen, he said.

He said that some of the agitators have been arrested and a heavy contingent of police had been deployed to control the situation in the area.