Washington: A US official has expressed his concerns over the targeted attacks on churches in response to the reported desecration of the Quran in Pakistan. The US urged the Pakistan authorities to conduct an investigation into the allegation of attack on minorities and support peaceful freedom of expression.
The US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said resorting to violence or the use of threats is never an acceptable form of expression.
His statement comes as multiple churches have been vandalised in the Jaranwala district of Pakistan's Faisalabad on Wednesday over the allegations of blasphemy, The Dawn reported.
Watch-Several churches vandalised after Christian man accused of desecrating Quran in Pakistan
“So we are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan. We support peaceful freedom of expression and the right to freedom of religion and belief for everybody. And as we have previously said, we are always concerned of incidents of religiously motivated violence,” US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said at the state briefing.
Violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression, and we urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm for all of those involved, Patel said.
Christian leaders have alleged that the police remained silent spectators during the attack. President Bishop of the Church of Pakistan Azad Marshall said Christians were being tortured and harassed, according to a report in The Dawn.
Bishop Marshall stated that he is crying out for justice and action to take place against those who had attacked them. He demanded the safety of citizens and asked to assure them that their lives are valuable in their own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom.
Last month, Naveed Walter, the President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan said that the population of minorities in Pakistan has come down to 3 per cent from 23 per cent since its independence in 1947.
In June this year, a local court in Bahawalpur sentenced a 22-year-old Christian youth, Noman Masih, to death on blasphemy charges, according to a BNN Network report.
The verdict sparked strong reactions from various human rights activists and organizations. (with Agency inputs)
