By Matullah Khan from Islamabad and Muhammad Asad from Lahore
LAHORE, Pakistan: At least two persons were left dead while several others injured when violent protests occurred in parts of Punjab especially in Lahore on Monday against Sunday’s militant attack on two churches in the provincial capital.
The worst scenes were reported at Ferozpur Road that was virtually a battle field among protesters and the Police. Situation is tense allover Punjab–the most populace area by Christian community. Reported number of injured person was 65 till the filing of this report.
The twin suicide bombings took place during Sunday prayers at Catholic Church and Christ Church in Lahore’s Youhanabad area, leaving 15 persons dead and injuring more than 70 others.
In order to register their protest over church bombings, the members of the Christian community on Monday took to the streets in Lahore, Gujranwala, Sargodha and Faisalabad, and blocked various roads for traffic.
During the demonstrations in Lahore’s Youhanabad area, the protesters clashed with dozens of baton-wielding police personnel while two protesters were killed and several were injured when a car hit them at Ferozepur Road.
The protestors in Youhanabad pelted stones at police personnel who in response fired tear gas to disperse the charged crowd. In addition, the Rangers personnel were also summoned to defuse the situation in the area.
The police also arrested 15 protesters in Gujranwala.
Meanwhile, the Christian community leader Kamran Michael appealed to Youhanabad protesters not to cause harm to public properties.
On the other hand, the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif has ordered to arrest culprits who were involved in burning to death of two persons in Youhanabad on Sunday.
Lahore lynching victim identified as local glass cutter
Earlier, an application was filed at Lahore’s Nishtar Colony police station by Muhammad Saleem, a person whose brother Naeem was lynched by an angry mob following the twin church blasts on Sunday.
Saleem registered a murder case at the Nishtar Colony police station against protesters who brutally killed and then torched his brother’s body. He said that his brother worked as a glass cutter and had nothing to do with yesterday’s church bombings in Lahore.
