Christians in Pakistan flee homes for safety after blasphemy accusation.
LAHORE, Pakistan — A third accusation of blasphemy in less than a month compelled Christians fearful of Islamic retribution to flee their homes in an eastern city in Pakistan this week, sources said.
Muslim crowds, including members of Islamic extremist groups, blocked the main Sargodha-Faisalabad highway for hours on Sunday after mosque announcements urged people in Sargodha to protest posters allegedly bearing derogatory caricatures and comments about Muhammad, the prophet of Islam and his wife Aisha that were pasted on mosque walls.
“The situation was already tense in Sargodha after two Christians were arrested and charged with blasphemy, but this incident has put the security of the entire community at risk,” former provincial lawmaker Tahir Naveed Chaudhry told Morning Star News.
The Christian politician told Morning Star News that the 3,500 to 4,000 Christian families of Maryam Town, a suburb of Sargodha, panicked when they heard the announcements.
“The posters were pasted on a mosque’s wall in Green Town which is adjacent to the Christian settlement,” Chaudhry said. “As word of the alleged blasphemy spread, hundreds of angry Muslims started congregating on the highway raising fears of violence in Maryam Town. Thankfully, the police responded in time, and a large contingent was deployed on all entry and exit points of the colony.” CP.
