JI extends every help to Christians: Liaqat Baloch

Punjab govt responsible for Badami Bagh tragedy: APML

Secretary General, Jamaat e Islami, Liaqat Baloch, on Sunday visited the Christian locality in Badami Bagh torched by a violent mob a day earlier, to express solidarity with the affected people and assured them all out support. The Bishop of Lahore, well known Christian leader J. Salik, and the area priest were also present on the occasion.

Liaqat Baloch went round the burnt houses and the camps set up for the affected families and also met the women and the children in the camps. He was accompanied by other party leaders including Zikrullah Mujahid and ex-MPA, Ch. Shaukat Ali.

Talking to the media on the occasion, Liaqat Baloch said that according to Islamic teachings, the torching of a Christian Church or any other place of worship, or any revealed book including the Bible was an unpardonable crime like the blasphemy of the Holy Quran and a mosque.

KARACHI: Badaami Bagh incident was a dark blemish on Pakistan and it was the flagrant failure of Punjab Government led by Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz to protect the Christian Pakistanis from the rioters that torched houses of the poor people. This was stated by All Pakistan Muslim League ( APML) Central Information Secretary Aasia Ishaque said this while addressing a gathering of APML workers and office-bearers at the Central Secretariat in the city. She said the incident was against the ideology of Pakistan and teachings of Islam. It was an act that brought bad name to the country and called for immediate remedy to heal the wounds of the affected innocent Christian fraternity. She demanded of the Punjab Government to immediately pay the compensation money to the affected Christian brethren that had lost their shelters and belongings in the arson that the perpetrators had ignited.

He said, it was the responsibility of the Punjab government to provide protection to the residents of the Joseph colony but it had failed in this respect primarily because the intelligence agencies and law enforcement institutions were busy in the security of the rulers alone.

He pointed out that in the past, there had been such tragedies at Khanewal, Gojra and Karachi, as well. He said the Christian minority in Pakistan was as patriotic as the other Pakistanis .