LAHORE: The federal government in Pakistan’s Punjab province on Thursday constituted a high-powered Joint Investigation Staff (JIT) staff to probe the latest unprecedented mob assaults on church buildings and houses of Christians. The Punjab Dwelling Division constituted a six-member JIT per week after the incident happened by which 21 church buildings and 86 homes have been burnt down by the mob allegedly led by members of the extremist group Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP).
“In exercise of powers conferred under section 19 (I) Anti Terrorism Act 1997, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) is hereby constituted to conduct and finalise investigation in FIRs of Jaranawala incident,” Extra Chief Secretary Shakeel Ahmad mentioned in a notification.
The JIT comprising six members is headed by SSP Anti-Terrorism Court docket (CTD) Punjab police.
“The head of the JIT shall depute one of the members of the JIT for the purpose of submission of the report (at the earliest),” the notification mentioned.
Pakistani authorities have arrested over 200 folks together with the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) activists in reference to the assaults on church buildings over blasphemy allegations in Jaranwala city of Faisalabad district, 130 km from Punjab’s provincial capital Lahore.
A Christian cemetery and the workplace of the native assistant commissioner have been additionally vandalised.
“We have arrested some 60 more suspects after which the number of total arrested crossed 200 in the Jaranwala incident. The arrests have been made through video footage,” Punjab Inspector Normal Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar mentioned on Wednesday. He mentioned the police would current all types of proof earlier than the Anti-Terrorism Court docket (ATC) to convict them.
“We will set an example through this case,” he mentioned.
Then again, the caretaker Punjab authorities couldn’t reside as much as its promise of restoring all broken church buildings by early this week.
“No restoration work at the damaged churches has begun as yet,” Pakistan Centre for Regulation and Justice Napoleon Qayyum instructed PTI.
He additional complained that solely a handful of Christians whose properties have been broken within the violence have acquired the cheques for the compensation quantity.
“A good number of Christian families are waiting to get the compensation amount which the government had promised,” Qayyum mentioned.
“Besides, the government has also not made arrangements for food and lodging of the affected Christians,” he mentioned, including that the Christian organisations are serving to the affected folks.
The Punjab authorities has introduced a compensation quantity of Rs 2 million every to 94 Christian households to assist them rebuild their homes and lives.
In response to Christian leaders, no less than 200 homes have been broken within the violence and all needs to be given compensation.
In the meantime, leaders from different religions and sects, in addition to political and spiritual events, have issued a joint declaration, demanding the federal and Punjab governments reconstruct the broken church buildings and homes of the Christian neighborhood in Jaranawala.
The ‘Interfaith Concord Convention’ additionally demanded the federal government punish the perpetrators of the Jaranwala tragedy and conduct an neutral investigation.
The joint declaration famous {that a} committee comprising Muslim and Christian leaders ought to look into the tragedy.
It mentioned the management of all related religions ought to cooperate with the authorities within the investigation and the result of the report needs to be made public.