In Pakistan, churches have been vandalized, and the US State Department is “concerned over incidents of religiously motivated violence”

In response to reports of the Quran being desecrated in Pakistan, the US expressed concern over the targeted attacks on churches. It asserted that using violence or threats is never an acceptable form of expression and urged Pakistani authorities to look into these claims and support peaceful freedom of expression.
In response to blasphemy accusations, many churches were vandalized on Wednesday in Pakistan’s Faisalabad’s Jaranwala area, according to Dawn.

Therefore, we are quite worried that houses and churches were attacked in retaliation for the allegedly desecrated Quran in Pakistan. We support everyone’s right to peaceful speech as well as their freedom of religion and belief. Additionally, as we have previously said, episodes of violence inspired by religion always worry us, said Vedant Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson for the US State Department, during the briefing.

 

“Violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression,” he said. “We urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into these claims and call for calm for all parties involved.”

 

 

Christian authorities claim that throughout the incident, the police did nothing except watch in silence. According to Dawn, Church of Pakistan President Bishop Azad Marshall said that Christians were subjected to harassment and abuse.

 

According to Bishop Marshall, they need justice and retribution from the people who assaulted them. He sought the protection of the populace and the assurance that their lives matter in their own country, which had recently celebrated freedom and independence.

 

Notably, throughout the years, persecution and intentional assaults against minorities have persisted in Pakistan.

According to Naveed Walter, the president of Human Rights Focus Pakistan, Pakistan’s minority population has decreased from 23% to 3% since the country’s independence in 1947.

 

According to the BNN Network, in June of this year, a local court in Bahawalpur executed 22-year-old Christian Noman Masih on blasphemy accusations, shocking Pakistan.

 

Several human rights groups and campaigners responded angrily to the ruling.