Jaranwala Incidents Are Conspiracy of Creating Violence & Unrest in Country

On 23rd August,2023 Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan organized Peace Conference about Jaranwala incident with interfaith leaders at Mansoorah, Lahore. Suraj ul Haq ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan was Chief guest in this is Peace Conference. Many prominent interfaith leaders were present in this conference as Fr. Pascal Paulus OP Prior Vice Provincial Ibn-e-Mariam Vice Province Pakistan, Bishop Azad Marshall Church of Pakistan, Sardar Bishan Singh, Sajid Phadia Hindu Leader, Bishop Nadeem Kamran Church of Pakistan, Santor Kamran Michael. Fr. Abid Tanveer Vicar General Faisalabad Diocese, Fr. Zafar Iqbal, Mr.Asher Nazir Executive Secretary Peace Center, Mr. Javed Kasury Emir Jamaat-e- Islami Punjab, Rev. Emmanuel Khokar,General Secretary Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab Central Nasr Goraya, President Al-khidmat Foundation Ikram Subhani, Emir District Dr. Saeed, Rana Abdul Waheed and Rana Attique participated in this Peace Conference. Mr. Javed Kasury Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Punjab welcomed to all honorable guest in Peace conference. He said that impatience is on the rise in the society which must be curbed and questioned where was the local administration when planning or such heinous game was ongoing. “It has been routine that groups of people commit such acts and local police as well as the law enforcers show negligence which caused embarrassment for the country across the world,” he added.

Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Sirajul Haq while declaring Jaranwala’s incident as conspiracy of creating violence and unrest in country, has demanded to give stringent punishment publicly to the people involved in these crimes. Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq said that I have visited Jaranwala, where I personally witnessed the aftermath of the burnt houses and churches, and expressed a profound message of empathy and unity. During visit to the affected areas, I announced the reconstruction of the torched houses. I also announced a substantial initiative to provide interest-free loans to the young of Jaranwala, fostering their economic empowerment and growth. Sirajul Haq underscored the essence of Islam, highlighting its core values of peace, brotherhood, and coexistence.

“In this time of collective grief, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Christian brethren,” remarked Sirajul Haq, emphasising the importance of solidarity across religious lines. He asserted that such incidents can only be deterred by punishing the criminals involved in the incident.
“There is a need of putting in place international laws regarding sanctity of religions. We, in Pakistan are protectors of lives and properties of all non-Muslims.

Sirajul Haq said acts of setting worship places and homes on fire were condemnable and announced that Jamaat-e-Islami under Al-Khidmat Foundation would install water filtration plant and build the affected homes.

He also announced free of cost education up to intermediate level, sponsorship and free of interest loans to Christian children. Sirajul Haq announced to arrange two times dowry for those girls whose luggage was looted during the riots and added it would also cooperate in rehabilitation of the damaged churches. The Islamic JI Party announced that it will convene a national Convention in September, including Pakistan's religious minorities, to advance the "Peace Caravan" initiative, emphasizing that "Pakistan belongs to all its citizens, who will live together and protect everyone's life and property. We want to convey the message that Pakistan is home to all religions and that its prosperous future depends on peace. Anyone who destroys peace in the country is an enemy of the nation," Siraj-ul-Haq said. The leader also advocated, at the political level, the creation of a national commission for minority affairs, with the aim of safeguarding the rights of Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and other religious groups.

He remarked, ‘Islam bestows complete guarantee of protection of worship places and safeguard of lives and properties of minorities. All which happened is negation of religious teachings and violation of Constitution of Pakistan. The entire nation and religious scholars strongly condemned this incident.” Bishop Nadeem Kamran called these incidents as conspiracy of creating violence and unrest in the country and demanded to give stringent punishment publicly to the people involved in the crimes. He demanded to determine motives behind this conspiracy and added the nation should be informed about the people involved. He said after determining all the elements involved in these crimes must be given stringent punishment so that such incidents don’t recur in the future.

Fr. Pascal Paulus OP shared that “Our places of worship and people are not safe in any way due to this incident. We demand a transparent investigation into this regrettable incident for the supremacy of law and justice so that a better society is established where religion and harmony are respected.” 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. We demand a transparent investigation into this regrettable incident for the supremacy of law and justice so that a better society is established where religion and harmony are respected. Let us show a good face of our country,” he said.

Reported by:
Asher Nazir
Executive Secretary
Peace Center Lahore