FAISALABAD The police claimed on Tuesday to have arrested four activists of two outlawed organisations involved in the Gojra incident and seized a cache of arms they possessed.
The activists of banned organisations hurled kerosene packets at Christian Colony houses in Gojra during a clash between Muslims and Christians on Aug 1 and used bullets to blow them up that caused fire resulting in the death of seven people.
Regional Police Officer Ahmad Raza Tahir told a press conference at his office that those arrested were Khalid Hussain, Ijaz, Abid Farooq and Faqir Hussain Jutt; the last mentioned was affiliated with the Haraktul Jehad al-Islami while the remaining three belonged to the Sipah-i-Sahaba Pakistan. He said they were trained in Afghanistan.
He dispelled the impression that the masked people who targeted the houses had come from Jhang. Those arrested were the residents of Gojra and wanted by the police in several cases of heinous crime, he said.
As for the modus operandi of the perpetrators in the incident, he said they threw kerosene sachets at Christian's houses in Gojra city on Aug 1 and then fired bullets at the packets, which sparked fire that engulfed more than a dozen houses.
He said the chemical examiner's report also confirmed that kerosene was used to torch the houses.
The RPO said four or five masked men jumped the fray from railway godowns and they opened indiscriminate fire on Christians and Muslims, leaving one (of the former) dead. The Christians retaliated and injured 18 people, five of them policemen.
He said those unidentified people also took away Christians' animals worth Rs1.1 million, however, the police recovered most of the cattle.
The Punjab government had on Aug 13 constituted a 12-member committee to monitor the relief and rehabilitation work in Gojra.
Law minister Rana Sanaullah heads the committee comprising minorities minister Kamran Michael, MPAs Juil Aamir Sahutra, Khalil Tahir Sandhu, Bilal Asghar Warraich, ex-MNA M. Hamza, Father Shafique, Bishop Joseph, secretary literacy Haseeb Athar, commissioner Tahir Hussain, Toba Tek Singh DCO Amanullah and Gojra Town Nazim Asad Zaman Cheema.
Informing the reporters how it all began, the RPO said some children at the wedding ceremony of Talib Masih's son on July 25 tore pages of ninth-class Islamic Studies book and some Muslims present there picked up the pieces scattered around.
Talib deals in paper waste and the book was lying at his residence. The children also threw the pieces on the bridegroom, he said.
He said the issue was brought to the notice of the area notables who formed a jury. Talib and his parents offered apology and the jury pardoned them.
However, he said, some elements blackmailed Talib and his family and eventually fanned the issue by provoking area people to act against the Christians.
Some people, he said, called Rescue 15 on July 30 to inform them that desecration of the Holy Quran had taken place at Chak Korian. The announcements were made also through mosque loudspeakers, asking people to unite against the Christians.
Following the announcements, he said, stick-wielding people came out of their houses and torched two houses at the village. The protesters also blocked road and demanded action against the police.
Criticising the role of politicians and clerics of Gojra, the RPO said they did not extend any sort of help to the police to avert this tragic incident. 'Had clerics and politicians helped the police, the incident wouldn't have taken place.'
The RPO said he had submitted a preliminary investigation report to the Human Rights Commission, Islamabad and the issue would be finalised after the completion of the judicial inquiry.
Our Toba Tek Singh correspondent adds Of the five alleged attackers, four were already in the custody of the Gojra city police.
An official claimed that the four alleged terrorists belonged to the Haraktul Jehad al-Islami. Their accomplice, Maulvi Nafeesur Rehman, is still at large, he added.
The police had also arrested Maulana Obaidur Rehman Jamali, the father of Maulvi Nafeesur Rehman, but as his name was not among those mentioned in the FIR, a Lahore High Court division bench (Chief Justice Khwaja Muhammad Sharif and Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry) released him on bail on Monday last.
The official claimed that all those arrested had taken part in the Afghan jehad against Russia.
Meanwhile, Gojra's city police on Tuesday arrested another Christian man in connection with the last month's violence.
According to a cross-version case, Naveed Masih injured 13 Muslims when a mob attacked Gojra's Christian Colony on Aug 1 to avenge the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran.
Earlier, a Christian man was arrested for injuring those who invaded the Christian settlement.
At least 50 people are currently in the district jail on charges of burning to death seven Christians and setting ablaze dozens of houses of Christians.
