22/05/2026
Christian leaders in Pakistan have demanded the arrest of all members of a mob that attacked Christian settlements and churches nearly three years ago in Jaranwala, described as “the worst incident against Christians” in Pakistan.
The demand was raised after a May 20 meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, a special parliamentary committee of the Senate (upper house) in Islamabad, which reviewed the investigation and prosecution of the case.
More than 80 Christian homes and 26 churches were vandalized by mobs on Aug. 16, 2023, at Jaranwala in Punjab province over allegations of Quran desecration. Hundreds of Christians were forced to flee their homes due to the violence.
A spokesperson for Faisalabad Regional Police reportedly told the committee that more than 5,000 individuals had initially been accused in the case. However, only 382 suspects were arrested.
Police said charge sheets had been submitted in courts against 336 accused persons.
Christian Senator Khalil Tahir Sindhu, who chaired the meeting, expressed dissatisfaction with the police report.
“It was a great injustice against minority Christians. When houses are burnt, hearts burn too. There should be no impunity,” he said.
Most of the approximately 5,000 Christians in Jaranwala are low-income workers, many employed as sanitation workers and living in cramped housing conditions.
The government says that 22 churches were repaired and that 84 affected households received compensation of 2 million rupees (some US$7,170) each.
Father Khalid Mukhtar, whose parish house was also attacked during the violence, said many victims remained frustrated with the legal process.
“Almost everyone has been released on bail. Only the person who demolished a church using a crane remains in jail. Some cases are on trial, and witness statements are being recorded. We demand the arrest of all the accused,” he told UCA News.
“Three first information reports [providing preliminary details of the crime], which police had placed in closed-file status, should be reopened for further investigation,” Mukhtar demanded.
Robin Daniel, patron-in-chief of the Minority Rights Movement, accused the police of "showing little interest in providing justice. We have one major demand — compensation for all losses,” Daniel said.
Akmal Bhatti, a Faisalabad-based Catholic lawyer and chairman of Minorities Alliance Pakistan, said investigations in cases of large mob violence are usually completed within weeks, but religious parties influenced the process in this case.
“The investigation has been flawed,” he alleged, adding that recoveries made months after the incident were later included in the case record.
Christian leaders in Pakistan demand the arrest of over 4,500 suspects still at large following the 2023 Jaranwala mob attacks that destroyed 26 churches and 80 homes.
