Pakistan to take stern action against Jaranwala incident culprits: FO

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday said Pakistan was fully determined to protect and promote the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of the individuals belonging to religious minorities, ARY News reported.

In a statement, she said as a country of law and constitution, Pakistan could not accept the intolerant and violent acts in yesterday’s incident in Faisalabad.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan has strongly condemned the reprehensible incident that took place in Faisalabad yesterday where churches were targeted and that hurt the sentiments of Christians across the country, she said.

She said these acts are illegal and unconstitutional. “Our law enforcement authorities took swift action yesterday. They have been instructed by the Prime Minister to apprehend the culprits and bring them to justice,” she added.

Read more: Over 600 booked as high-level probe underway into Jaranwala incident

The FO spokesperson said as a multicultural and multi-faith country, Pakistan was fully determined to protect and promote their constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms and to foster social harmony, tolerance and mutual respect.

Earlier today, the Jaranwala police registered terror cases against more than 600 people for “vandalizing multiple churches and torching homes belonging to the Christian community”.

According to the FIR, a mob of 500-600, who were led by a group of people, “attacked the Christian community, ransacked people’s homes after entering them and torched Christians’ homes and the church building”.