LAHORE, Aug 4 Militants from Swat and other areas of Malakand division are involved in communal riots in Gojra village, says Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah.

“We have evidence that elements from Swat and other tribal areas are behind the gory incident in Korian village,” Sanaullah told Dawn on Tuesday.

Mr Sanaullah said 'local handlers and facilitators' of the militants triggered the violence. Without naming the banned religious outfits, he said the law enforcement agencies would soon arrest the 'real' culprits.

Riots erupted in Korian village on July 31 when a group of people alleged that three Christians burnt the pages of Holy Quran at a wedding ceremony.

Seven persons were burnt alive and a number of houses of the minority community were burnt and ransacked during the violence. Police have booked more than 800 and arrested about 100 people for the killings and violence.

The law minister said the government had intelligence reports that militants would try to engineer sectarian clashes, but there was no indication of communal riots.