Pakistan: Delegation from Christian community calls on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor over Jaranwala attack

Aug 28, 2023

Peshawar [Pakistan], August 28 : A delegation from Pakistan’s Christian community called on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam over the Jaranwala incident in which 19 churches and multiple houses were gutted in a suspected arson by a mob, Radio Pakistan reported on Monday.
Radio Pakistan is the national public broadcaster in Pakistan.
In the meeting, KP Governor Haji Ghulam Ali assured the minority delegation of his full cooperation to resolve the problems being faced by educational institutes managed by Christian churches in the province.
Further, according to Radio Pakistan, Governor Haji also acknowledged the role of the Christian community in the development of the education sector in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
He also expressed his regret over the Jaranwala incident and expressed his support for the minority Christian community in the country, Radio Pakistan reported.
A total of 19 churches were fully gutted and 89 Christian houses burnt down in the recent violence targeting the Christian community in Jaranwala in Faisalabad, according to a fact-finding report of the Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP), reported Radio Pakistan.
The HRFP report stated that on August 16, a mob in Jaranwala attacked churches and members of the Christian community.
A total of 19 churches were gutted while 2 more churches and some prayer rooms and community halls were also damaged.
The report stated that over 10,000 Christians hid in sugarcane and other fields during the first nights of the attack.