Pakistan Church Attack: US Urges For A Probe On 'Religiously Motivated Violence'

The United States has expressed concern over the targeted attacks on churches in Pakistan, saying resorting to violence or the use of threats is never an acceptable form of expression.

It has urged the Pakistan government to conduct an investigation into the attacks and support peaceful freedom of expression. It comes after multiple churches were vandalised in the Jaranwala district of Pakistan's Faisalabad on Wednesday over the allegations of blasphemy

"So we are deeply concerned that churches and homes were targeted in response to reported Quran desecration in Pakistan. We support peaceful freedom of expression and the right to freedom of religion and belief for everybody. And as we have previously said, we are always concerned of incidents of religiously motivated violence," ANI quoted US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel as saying at the state briefing.

He added, "Violence or the threat of violence is never an acceptable form of expression, and we urge Pakistani authorities to conduct a full investigation into these allegations and call for calm for all of those involved".

On the other hand, Christian leaders have accused the police of being passive bystanders during the attack. President Bishop Azad Marshall of the Church of Pakistan stated that Christians were subjected to torture and intimidation, as reported by Dawn.

"We cry out for justice and action from law enforcement and those who dispense justice and the safety of all citizens to intervene immediately and assure us that our lives are valuable in our own homeland that has just celebrated independence and freedom," he said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Bishop Marshall added that all priests, bishops and lay people were "deeply pained and distressed" at the incident.

Former senator Afrasiab Khattak condemned the incident and demanded that the culprits should be brought to book.

"Pakistani state has failed to provide security to the worship places of people who follow religions other than Islam. Impunity to the crimes committed in the name of religion has emboldened extremists and terrorists," he added.

Minorities including Christians and Hindus in Pakistan have frequently been subjected to blasphemy allegations and some were tried and even sentenced under the tough blasphemy law.