Victims Committee Jaranwala Convener Robin Daniel asserting finish of 17-day sit-in on Sept. 2, 2025. (Minority Rights Motion Pakistan Fb)
LAHORE, Pakistan (Christian Day by day Worldwide–Morning Star Information) – In a uncommon present of Christian solidarity in Pakistan, victims of August 2023 Islamist assaults on Christians ended an unprecedented 17-day sit-in on Tuesday (Sept. 2) after authorities assurances of justice.
Addressing the demonstrators, the convener of the Victims Committee of Jaranwala, Lala Robin Daniel, stated the sit-in marked the primary time in Pakistan’s historical past that Christians had staged such an prolonged protest for his or her rights.
“Christians have suffered over 13 mob assaults on their neighborhoods through the years, however by no means earlier than have they raised their voices for justice,” Daniel advised these protesting lack of justice following Aug. 16, 2023 assaults within the Jaranwala space of Punjab Province. “It’s for the primary time on this nation’s historical past that inside a radius of 10 kilometers, protests had been held not solely in streets but in addition in graveyards and church buildings.”
The sit-in was additionally the primary time that Christians, particularly girls, participated within the protests whereas fasting, forsaking day by day chores to make sure their voices had been heard, he stated. Daniel stated the Christians of Jaranwala had been compelled to protest as a result of their pleas for justice and compensation for losses had fallen on deaf ears.
“We had been compelled to take the issues into our personal palms as a result of those that declare that they’re advocating for us maintain conferences in five-star accommodations in Lahore and Faisalabad whereas remaining oblivious to the scenario on the bottom,” he stated.
Not one of the supposed advocates have visited the houses of victims to examine whether or not they have acquired the compensation cash or to search out out the standing of their authorized circumstances, Daniel stated.
“These folks clad in fits and robes have been holding ceremonial conferences with the federal government officers only for photo-ops and to become profitable in our names, which is why the federal government additionally didn’t take them severely,” he stated. “Our demand from day one is that the federal government ought to have interaction with us straight.”
The group chief stated that when the federal government approached them for talks, three girls victims had been included within the negotiation committee together with different nominated representatives in order that they might spotlight the challenges they continued to face of their day by day life.
“We had been summoned to Faisalabad the place seven or eight folks from a federal authorities establishment had been current for a gathering with us,” Daniel stated. “They advised us that the federal government has taken discover of our calls for and guaranteed us that we are going to begin seeing the outcomes ranging from that. They didn’t even ask us to finish our protest, in contrast to the district administration, which has been pressuring us to name it off.”
The victims’ committee unanimously determined to droop the sit-in in view of assurances by federal officers, together with consideration of torrential rains and flooding within the nation.
“Nonetheless, if we don’t see any change in our scenario, we’ll restart the protest with extra vigor,” he warned.
A girls protestor addressing the gathering stated Christians of Jaranwala had been disillusioned by the federal government’s inaction towards the perpetrators of violence.
“The state ought to know that we are going to not relaxation till we get justice,” she stated, urging contributors to maintain praying and stay united of their wrestle for his or her rights.
The protest, organized by the Victims Committee Jaranwala and the Minority Rights Motion Pakistan, started on Aug. 16 at Christian Colony in Jaranwala.
Not one of the perpetrators have been convicted after they ransacked and broken greater than 25 church buildings and 85 houses of Christians in Jaranwala Tehsil of Faisalabad District, on Aug. 16, 2023. The frenzied mob of 1000’s of Muslims attacked after two Christian brothers had been accused of writing blasphemous content material and desecrating the Quran.
The assault drew nationwide condemnation, and greater than 300 Muslims had been arrested for the riots; most had been both bailed out or discharged on account of faulty police investigation. On June 4, an anti-terrorism court docket in Faisalabad acquitted 10 named suspects concerned in burning a church constructing and ransacking a Christian’s house throughout the violence.
The petitioner’s lawyer blamed police for the acquittals regardless of robust proof towards the suspects. Comparable verdicts are anticipated within the remaining circumstances associated to the assaults, he beforehand advised Christian Day by day Worldwide-Morning Star Information.
Of 5,213 suspects apprehended within the Jaranwala riots, 380 had been arrested whereas 4,833 remained at massive one yr after the assaults, in response to Amnesty Worldwide; 228 of the arrested suspects had been launched on bail and 77 others had the fees towards them dropped, in response to Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty Worldwide’s deputy regional director for South Asia.
He added at the moment, “regardless of the authorities’ assurances of accountability, the grossly insufficient motion has allowed a local weather of impunity for the perpetrators of the Jaranwala violence.”
Blasphemy accusations are widespread in Pakistan, and people discovered responsible of insulting Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, could be sentenced to demise. Whereas authorities have but to hold out demise sentences for blasphemy, typically the accusation alone can spark riots and incite mobs to violence.
The 2 Christian brothers in Jaranwala had been acquitted of the blasphemy costs after an anti-terrorism court docket discovered that they’d been framed by one other Christian following a private dispute.
Pakistan ranked eighth on Open Doorways’ 2025 World Watch Checklist of probably the most troublesome locations to be a Christian.
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