KARACHI, Oct 20: Speakers at demonstration on Saturday demanded that the people involved in attacking a church in Essa Nagri be tried and punished immediately.

The demonstration was organised by the Joint Action Peace Council Essa Nagri at the press club against the attack on Philadelphia Pantecostal Church on Friday.

Former MPA Michael Javed said that the attackers damaged and desecrated the religious material and also looted valuables. He said this was the second such attack to have occurred in the area. Another church in Essa Nagri, the Seventh Day Church, had also been attacked and ransacked some time ago. Mr Javed said that the lack of any action by the authorities despite repeated protests was adding to the sense of insecurity among the members of the Christian community.

The attackers came from the Essa Nagri graveyard side, he added.

A Christian leader of Essa Nagri, Dr Liaquat Munawar, said that five Christian youths — Faisal Masih, Yusuf Inayat, Rafi Bhatti, Nasir Masih and Zulfiqar Masih — had also been killed in separate incidents in the area. But the killers had not been arrested even though several weeks had passed, he said, adding that over 40,000 residents of Essa Nagri feared for their safety.

Dr Munawwar demanded that the killers be caught and the victims’ heirs be paid Rs500,000 as compensation.

Zubair Khan of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf criticised the Sindh government and said that it had failed to protect the lives and property of minority communities. He said that the constitution gives equal rights to minorities but the government’s attitude showed clear discrimination against them. He demanded that the attackers be taken to account immediately.

The protesters also urged the chief justice of Pakistan to take suo moto notice of the attack and the killings of five members of the Christian community. They also asked for an inquiry to probe the incident.

Other leaders who addressed the demonstration included Mushtaq Mato, Yunus Khan and Father Rafaqat.