Justice Qazi Faez Isa, senior puisne judge of the Supreme Court (SC), visited Faisalabad district’s Jaranwala tehsil on Saturday to inquire about the situation of the local Christian community after Wednesday’s riots over alleged blasphemy.
On August 16, a mob targeted the Christian community — ransacking and torching their churches and homes there — leaving at least 19 churches and 86 homes in ruins.
The Punjab police have arrested at least 145 alleged miscreants, including two prime suspects, out of the 1,470 who have been booked as well as registered five cases.
The vandalism and arson have sparked nationwide outrage, with various religious clerics strongly condemning the incident and urging “exemplary punishment” to be given to the perpetrators.
Today, Justice Isa along with his wife, paid a visit to the Christian-populated area of Jaranwala, where he met the affectees and assessed the conditions of the burnt buildings.
Speaking to the Christian victims, he said, “If anyone attacks churches, it is the responsibility of Muslims [to catch] the attackers.”
Stating that he “does not communicate with journalists” due to his profession, the judge informed one of the locals that he had written a message for them.
Justice Isa further told him that he had brought some “food packets” for them, which he acknowledged were akin to a “drop in the ocean”.
“We want others to do the same,” he added. “Who has the greatest responsibility? [It is] Muslims. They should help you,” the SC judge said.
“Why leave everything to the state?” he asked, noting the glacial pace of state machinery to “tenders, etc”, which would take time.
Justice Isa asked the Christian leader to see who needed aid the most according to their financial status and accordingly distribute the items.
He then communicated with the residents about which other areas needed help and asked that he be taken there.
Separately, in a statement issued after his visit to Jaranwala, Justice Isa quoted verses from the Holy Quran and said Muslims were told to fight against those who harmed churches.
He highlighted that faith in Prophet Isa was one of the principles of Islam and recalled events from history where Muslim religious leaders had shown respect to Christianity.
The SC justice further stated that under Articles 295 and 295-A of the Constitution, a person who “hurt the religious sentiments of anyone” was liable to be punished.
“Violating the Constitution is considered a grave crime … what happened in Jaranwala was a violation of Pakistan’s law and Constitution,” he asserted.
Noting that Islam was a religion that encouraged people to wish peace upon others when they meet each other, Justice Isa rued, “The few followers of this religion who call themselves Muslim violated the teachings of their religion and displayed barbarism and abuse to this extent.”
The puisne judge further demanded that the victims of the Jaranwala incident should be compensated in every way possible.
