In the chase for an alleged blasphemer, hundreds of enraged Muslims charged a Christians’ locality forcing the inhabitants to flee for their lives in the Badami Bagh police area here in Lahore, Pakistan on Friday, 8th March 2013.
The Voice team have witnessed about two to three thousand people, gathered around the Joseph Colony at Noor Road following Shafiq Ahmed who was searching for the Christian accused Sawan alias Boddi Masih, to kill him. The mob attacked the house of Savan, burnt it partially, pelting bricks at other houses where about 150 Christian families were residing. The Voice came to know about the incidence through a telephone call from a source, a team comprised of Aneeqa Maria ( Coordinator, Advocate High Court), Shahid Anthony (Finance and field officer), Napolean Quyyum (Field officer), Gohar Altaf (Field Officer) and Khurram Akhtar (Research officer ) went to witness the incidence, as it appeared quiet unusual for such an occurrence in a place like Lahore.  by the time we reached there the mob could not find Sawan, some protesters found out his father Chaman Masih aged about 68 years and thrashed him badly but police took the custody of the poor father and saved him. As the charged mob started throwing bricks and some of them even tried to burn the entire locality, the inhabitants of the houses including women and children managed to flee to safety. The attackers also damaged vehicle of a Christian pastor who reached there to learn facts. He fled away to save his life.
This episode started at 1pm in the afternoon on 8th March 2013 and ended late at night. By the time, a large number of police personnel reached the spot and averted more damage. The police managed to pacify the mob by registering FIR 112/13 under section 295-C of PPC (death sentence) against Sawan by ensuring them that the accused would be handed over to the mob. The Voice team demanded the security for the residents and the houses of the people from the Stationed house officer of police station Badami bagh (SHO) named Hafiz Abdul Majid, but he flately refused and said that , the Matter is out of our hands, we cannot do anything. Once the call for protest is given by the Islamic organizations than it is impossible to stop them. you better tell your people to stay away from their homes. and do not come back. TVS asked him about the incidence to which he responded casually by saying, ‘The police contingents were present on the spot till the filing of this report. Shahid Imran, complainant in the FIR, alleged that Sawan used to utter derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) but he ignored. He said that on Thursday he again uttered blasphemous remarks.
The Voice team investigated the matter with a few residents who were left alone in the colony one was named Sugran Bibi, she told The Voice team that Sawan and Imran were in conflict from a few days, yesterday i.e. on thursday they both had a quarrel whereas Mohamad Shafiq was supporting Imran against Sawan, he also suggested Imran that we should tackle him in the same way as we do against the bleady Christians. the folllowing evening i.e. he and his friend, Shafiq, who picked up a knife and went straight to Sawan’s house. Reaching there, Shafiq hurled abuses by shouting and telling Sawan to come out. The complainant said Sawan’s family members told Shafiq that theydon’t know where Swan was, but as soon as they will find Sawan they will send him to Shafiq. Reassured, Shafiq returned.
On the day of occurance i.e. Friday 8th March 13, Imran took Sawan with him and instgated him to drink alchohol, after that they went to their homes at 12pm Friday, Shafiq gathered some other boys and reached Sawan’s house. Meanwhile, Muslims of the adjoining localities also reached there to join him against the accused. the situation went out of control when people reached the spot after offering prayer in behind Qari Saifullah, countless people had reached the area they started pelting bricks and tried to burn the houses while shouting slogans, the scared Christians left their houses and fled. Within no time all houses were abandoned.
Sawan Masih was handed over to the Police by a well-known so-called Christian leader, despite of the knowing fact that there is every possible apprehension of killing him, just to show the people how much he cares for them, but inspite of his imprudent act the mob returned on Saturday and began ransacking Christian homes and setting them on fire. The mob attacked the houses in Joseph Colony in Badami Bagh police precincts in the provincial capital following allegations of blasphemy against Sawan Masih alias Boddi Masih Son of Chaman Masih resident of Joseph Colony Badami Bagh Lahore. Sawan was charged under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
More than 160 homes of Christians were set on fire by outraged Muslims in the Badami Bagh community in Lahore on Saturday “Mob wanted police to hand them over the alleged blasphemer,” said Hafiz Majid, the senior police official in Badami Bagh. The mob also looted some shops run by Christians, as they have fled the area for fear of being killed.
If convicted, Masih faces the death penalty. Sawan denies the allegations made by the two men who filed the blasphemy complaint against him with police on Friday. Masih says the three got into an argument while drinking and that the other two men threatened to publicly accuse him of blasphemy.
“The attack is yet another shameful incident against a vulnerable community and further confirmation of the slide toward extremism in society on the one hand and, on the other hand, the indifference and inaction that has become the norm among the police. The police is now held accused of arresting Christians in the incident “while those who went on a rampage and can easily be identified from television footage have gone scot-free.”Blasphemy is an extremely sensitive subject in Pakistan – a nation of 180 million people, 97 per cent of whom are Muslims, and those convicted of defaming Islam or desecrating the Quran can face life imprisonment or even the death penalty.
Human rights activists claim the laws are often used to settle personal vendettas and last year two prominent politicians were assassinated apparently for speaking out against the legislation.
Up-Date/ Final Report:
Over 100 houses were ransacked and torched, Windows were smashed and burned, valuables were looted – not a single house in the colony was spared. The mob destroyed everything. And yet the city’s police force failed to protect the residents of the colony, instead taking refuge in a warehouse nearby. A few days after the tragic incident, the colony’s rehabilitation work was already underway. Burnt furniture and other household items were being piled into trucks to be ferried off out of sight. The houses were being renovated from scratch., and as usual cheap and untenable material has been used for renovating the houses. over 50 houses are left without maintaining and renovating the washrooms. People are bound to use the washrooms of their neighbors. The entire colony smelt of garbage, filth and disease will follow them as the food poisoning has already stuck many children there. although people have shifted in the half renovated houses but still they are sitting on broken furniture, and waiting for some miracle to happen to make their situation better. there are over 129 houses and 200 families that are bound to live in a single renovated room. the rest is incomplete and the completed section is worse than incomplete. the houses are renovated with Mud and sand a very small quantity of cement and quality material is used. the Floors are leaving their space and making bumps and holes in the houses. walls are white washed and bathrooms and roofs are left behind. There is still visible trauma too. people are depressed, heartbroken and worried about their families and children that how long will they live such a life. Govt have issued them five hundred thousand but they have to rebuild their houses, bring furniture and utensils, they have to eat, they have to send their children school, they have to marry their daughters, they have to buy the things of daily use. how can they do everything in just 5,00,000 Rupees? who will help them? who will make it possible for these Christians to live a normal life again? who will help them to get their daughters married because Dowry is burnt. the Cheques that were issued by the President were only for one house and not for one family, so what will the other people or families residing in the same house will do?
Joseph colony is a harsh and inconsiderate reality of injustice and discrimination against Christians in Pakistan.
The Voice have upraised a call for the Protest in peacefull manner in the Big Cities of Pakistan like Karachi, Multan, Kot Addu, Mian Channu, Okara, Muzzafargarh, Islamabad, Lahore and including all sectors of Pakistan on Sunday 10th March 2013. The Voice demands the Government to end up the discrimination against Christians and provide them with their basic right of security and peace, what so far the Punjab Government has failed to do.