LAHORE: The interim Punjab government has formed 10 joint investigation teams (JITs) to arrest the attackers who vandalised churches and homes of Christians in Jaranwala last week.

The attacks in Jaranwala took place on Aug 16, when a mob of hundreds rampaged through Christian-majority areas, vandalising and torching several churches, besides ransacking and damaging dozens of homes.

So far, police have lodged 21 cases under terrorism and other charges against more than 600 attackers, of which over 180 have been arrested, including three primary accused who had incited the mob through loudspeakers of local mosques.

These cases will be handed over to the JITs, specially tasked with identifying and arresting culprits, including prime suspects, who had incited the mob by making proclamations through mosques’ loudspeakers, according to a notification issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Shakeel Ahmed on Wednesday.

Teams to revisit crime scenes, record testimonies; locals ‘unhappy’ with damage assessment

The JITs have been constituted under Section 19(a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. Each team will comprise six members from the Counter Terrorism Depart­ment, Crime Investigation Agency and local police.

An SSP-ranked officer will be the convener of each team while other members will include DSPs, inspectors and assistant sub-inspectors.

Some of the JITs have been assigned three to four cases registered by the Jaranwala police.

A police official said that the attacks on the Christian community were “some of the most destructive” ever seen in the country’s history.

The JITs would revisit crime scenes, record statements of churches’ caretakers, victims and locals and interrogate arr­es­ted suspects, according to the official.

The teams will collect and compile fresh evidence and footage of the attacks to make them part of the investigations and prepare challans to submit in courts.

The police official added that as per initial investigations, the attacks were part of a “meticulously orchestrated” plot to ransack the properties of the Christian community.

Senior government officials, including the caretaker prime minister and the Punjab chief minister, visited the areas and supervised the police’s action, the official said, adding they have also assured the Christian community of “timely and swift justice”.

Locals ‘unhappy’ with damage assessment

Separately, some senior representatives of the Christian community in Jaranwala have claimed the official assessment report did not reflect the true extent of damage, which they claimed was “more than what has been reported”.

According to estimates compiled by Faisalabad’s district administration, at least 22 churches ransacked by mobs suffered damages of Rs29.1 million whereas 91 houses, which bore the brunt of violence, suffered losses of Rs38.5 million. The list of items destroyed by the mob included fans, air-conditioners, water filtration plants, generators, carpets, furniture and other electrical appliances, according to the administration.

Christian community leaders have claimed at least 200 houses were damaged. They said many owners were still waiting for compensation promised by the caretaker prime minister during his visit to Jaranwala a few days back.

During the trip, PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar met the victims and announced Rs2m for each damaged house.The leaders of different religions and sects, as well as political parties, have demanded the federal and Punjab governments reconstruct and rehabilitate vandalised churches and houses.

Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2023