Pakistan: Muslim Mob Besieges Christian Homes, Attacks Police Over False Blasphemy Allegation

Karachi by Bilalhassan88, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 | Jihad Watch

A tense situation unfolded in Karachi on Thursday (July 9) after an unidentified individual allegedly mailed a desecrated page of the Quran to a Muslim shopkeeper, accompanied by photographs of a Christian man and his mother, according to local sources.

Christian rights advocate Asif Bastian said the envelope was delivered to Waleed General Store in Qazafi Colony, Baldia Town. It reportedly contained a burned page of the Quran, photographs of 40-year-old Catholic Azeem Javaid and his mother, along with a copy of her national identity card.

As word of the alleged desecration spread, hundreds of Muslims, including members of religious groups, gathered outside the street where Javaid's family lived, demanding action. The protest left around 10 to 15 Christian families confined to their homes as tensions escalated.

Police officers who initially responded to the scene were met with stone-pelting, forcing them to retreat temporarily. Authorities later deployed additional police personnel and paramilitary Rangers to restore order.

Bastian credited the swift response of the Sindh provincial government with preventing the situation from spiraling into widespread violence. Officials assured protest leaders that a thorough investigation would be conducted, including an examination of CCTV footage from the Saddar Post Office, where the envelope was reportedly mailed. Following these assurances, the protest dispersed peacefully.

Authorities later evacuated Javaid's family to a secure location in an armored police vehicle for their safety.

A source familiar with the family, speaking anonymously, suggested the incident may have been a deliberate attempt to falsely implicate Javaid in a blasphemy case or provoke mob violence against him.

The source noted that Javaid has a steady job and no history of involvement in religious disputes. While he has reportedly had financial disagreements with certain individuals, the source argued it would make little sense for him to desecrate the Quran and then send it, along with his own photograph, to a shop located directly opposite his residence.

Javaid's family remains under police protection at an undisclosed location, while Javaid himself, who was at work when the incident occurred, has gone into hiding as authorities continue their investigation.

(This Article was originally published by Jihad Watch)