The Supreme Court was urged on Monday to affix the suo moto case of the Jaranwala incident for early hearing.
The incident pertains to violent communal attacks on the resident Christian community of Faisalabad's Jaranwala neighbourhood on August 16, 2023, over allegations of blasphemy and sacrilegious acts against two members of the community. Due to the attacks, the resident Christian community — which mostly comprised of sanitary workers employed by the district administration and other non-governmental organisations — were forced to flee their homes and worship places and sought safety in nearby fields. Subsequently, scores of living quarters and worship places were torched by enraged crowds, which were incited to violent and criminal acts through proclamations over loudspeakers installed at mosques and other locations.
Minority Rights Activist Samuel Maksan moved an application for the early hearing of the case in the top court. He urged the court to fix the suo moto case for hearing in the week commencing September 19.
Maksan argued that despite the government's proclamations to compensate the victims of the incident, not all victims had received the promised compensation and that these victims were suffering great difficulties.
The application stated that as many as 26 churches and 146 houses of the resident Christian community were torched, ransacked or looted by the violent mob which created an alarming crisis.
It is pertinent to mention here that Justice Qazi Faez Isa, who was the senior puisne judge at the time of the incident, had visited the site of the attacks along with his wife, Serina Isa, where he expressed solidarity with the Christian community.
Following the incident, then-Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi and the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwaarul Haq Kakar also visited the site and pledged to compensate the family of each victim, promising to pay them Rs2 million with the assurance that all the affected churches would be restored within three days.
"Regrettably, discrepancies persist in the government's acknowledgement of the extent of the damage. Despite providing accurate figures (146 houses), the government erroneously cites 80 houses, and only 76 out of these have been 80 compensated, leaving four families still awaiting redress [per government figures]," the application stated.
"Our repeated efforts to correct this information have been met with indifference," Maskan's application added.
"A matter of grave concern is the abrupt halt of reconstruction activities at various churches, with a noticeable lack of responsiveness from government authorities," he highlighted, adding that the abrupt cessation of activities had left affected churches incomplete and vulnerable and needed immediate attention and action.
"The arrest of 283 individuals in connection with the incident raises concerns about the investigative process," the application further maintained, adding, "Shockingly, 223 have been granted bail and 14 discharged, underscoring potential flaws in the police investigation and highlighting the urgency for a thorough review."
The application further mentioned that despite proper identification by complainants, the authorities have failed to recover the tools used to destroy the churches and homes of the Christian community.
"Additionally, the existence of videos collected from various sources has not resulted in action against the perpetrators, further underscoring the need for a robust and just response."
The rights activist stated that victims lodged 25 FIRs regarding the theft of their belongings, but the police responded to these complaints in a lacklustre manner, while the absence of investigations or a JIT has "left the affected in a state of despair."
The application recalled that the top court had heard the suo moto case on September 8, 2023, and ordered it to be re-listed after two weeks. However, the application stated that the case has yet to reach a conclusion over a year after the incident.