By Enyichukwu Enemanna
No fewer than four churches have been set on fire while several homes of Christians were vandalised as thousands of Muslims in a city in Pakistan protest what they call the desecration of the holy quran.
According to residents, several other buildings connected to churches in Jaranwala, in eastern Punjab, were also damaged.
At least 100 protesters have been arrested by the police even as investigation commences into the violence.
The situation remains tense, but no deaths were reported, authorities say.
A local official told BBC Urdu that authorities received calls about protests and fires early Wednesday morning after reports of the two men allegedly desecrating the Quran, the holy book of Islam, circulated on social media.
Authorities said torn pages of the the sacred text with blasphemous content allegedly scribbled on them in red marker ink, were found near a Christian community.
The reports circulated around the city and on social media, sparking outrage among the Muslim community.
The violence that ensued saw mobs attacking and looting private homes belonging to Christians.
Yassir Bhatti, a 31-year-old Christian, was one of those to flee their homes.
“They broke the windows, doors and took out fridges, sofas, chairs and other household items to pile them up in front of the Church to be burnt,” he told AFP news agency.
“They also burnt and desecrated Bibles, they were ruthless.”
Videos on social media show protesters destroying Christian buildings while police appear to watch on.
Police have also filed a case against two local Christian residents for the allegation of violation of the blasphemy law, which carries the death sentence.
Even though Pakistan has yet to sentence anyone to death for blasphemy, an accusation alone can result in widespread riots, causing lynchings and killings
Amir Mir, the information minister for Punjab province, condemned the alleged blasphemy and said in a statement that thousands of police had been sent to the area, with dozens of people detained.
