Jaranwala tragedy: Tahir Ashrafi for holding trial at church stormed by mobsters

Pakistan Ulema Council Chairman Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi has strongly condemned the Jaranwala incident calling it a shameful and anti-Islamic act.

Addressing a press conference along with Lahore Archbishop Sebastian Francis Shaw, Ashrafi said: “We have come to apologise to the leadership of the Christian community.”

He added: “We are ashamed. We are ashamed because the majority in Pakistan are Muslims, but this does not mean that the right to live should be taken away from Christians, Hindus, Sikhs or other minorities living here.

“We understand that as elder brothers we could not fulfill our responsibility. This incident hurt Islam and Pakistan. This wound has been inflicted on Pakistan … this has been inflicted on Islam

He continued: “We are ashamed of the act that made feared Christian girls spend the night in the fields and on the streets.

“I want to ask perpetrators to whom they pleased by committing this heinous crime.

 “Our beloved Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) allowed the Christians to worship in the mosque.

Those who have done this shameful act have acted against the Sunnah.  Hurting anyone is neither the teaching of Islam nor the teaching of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)”.

The Ulema Council chief called upon the country’s top judge Pakistan to provide the victims with justice and award stern punishment to the culprits

The entire nation demands the chief justice of Pakistan to conduct the trial at the church which was stormed, he said, stressing that exemplary punishment should be awarded to the culprits to avert such incidents.

“Try it in one month,” he demanded, adding that the nation wants these criminals to be punished.

He insisted:  “We are tired. This case must not be prolonged like the May 9 riots.

“Sometimes we cry for Jaranwala. Sometimes we cry for Shanti Nagar.

“This shameful act has weakened our case.

“We were crying over the events in Sweden and Denmark, they have weakened our case by doing this.”

He also demanded compensation saying the government must restore all these holy places, where the buildings have been destroyed.

The Arch Bishop called for a transparent investigation and indiscriminate action against culprits.  He said the main intention of this incident is to spread anarchy in the country. He regretted this attack destroyed the image of the country.