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Isa Nagri is a Christian locality comprising 150 houses, located behind the Government Girls College, Sahiwal. It is surrounded by Tariq Bin Ziyad Colony, Mochi Mohalla and Feteh Sher Colony.
Reports said 'S,' a 16-year-old daughter of a truck driver, left her Isa Nagri home on Oct 25 after an altercation with her family members and did not return.
Sources said 'S' had an affair with a Christian boy 'K' of the same locality. Her parents suspected she had eloped with 'K' and demanded that the boy's family should return the girl. The boy's family, however, denied the allegation despite the fact that the boy also went 'missing' the same day the girl left her home.
But, according to sources, the matter was not just of an elopement.
It is learnt that the girl's family had embraced Islam a few years back, but continued living in Isa Nagri.
On Oct 26, a panchayat comprising elders of both families met and tried to convince the parties to settle the dispute amicably, but to no avail.
Witnesses told Dawn requesting anonymity that some 'outsiders' visited the locality on Tuesday evening and warned the residents that a Gojra-like attack was being planned on Isa Nagri, and that zealots from Chichawatni were coming to ransack the locality as a Muslim girl had been 'kidnapped.' Someone even made a call to police emergency 15 that an attack on Isa Nagri was imminent.
Following the attack hoax, many Christian residents of Isa Nagri started vacating their houses and left for some safe places.
'By the time the police were alert and started analysing the situation, around 100 families had moved out of Isa Nagri within an hour,' an eyewitness told Dawn.
The police immediately moved Fateh Sher SHO Malik Hasanat, Farid Town SHO Saeed Khan Lodhi and Civil Lines SHO Waheed Khan led by DSP Zafer Iqbal to Isa Nagri along with a heavy contingent.
The police cordon off all entry points to Isa Nagri and frisked those leaving and entering the locality. Both parties were taken to Fateh Sher police station and were kept in protective custody.
Later, Zaki Chaudhry, PPP senior district vice-president, used his influence and social connections and arranged a meeting of both families at his residence.
Police officers, Christian elders and dozens of PPP workers attended the meeting which resulted in return of the girl to her family.
Later, the Christian elders made announcements that the dispute had been resolved and there was no threat to the locality.
This correspondent witnessed the residents returning to the locality around 2am.
The police remained deployed in Isa Nagri the whole night. 'The situation is under control,' SHO Hasnat said on Wednesday. 'Rumours (of attack) were spread by some outside elements,' SHO Saeed Khan said.
Police and elite force personnel are still patrolling Isa Nagri.
