6 Christians Killed in Riots in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Days of rioting between Christians and Muslims in eastern Pakistan, over allegations that a Koran was defiled, escalated Saturday, leaving six Christians dead, including four women and a child, the authorities said.

Members of a banned Muslim organization began burning the homes of Christians in the Punjabi city of Gorja on Thursday after accusing them of desecrating pages of a Koran, said Shahbaz Bhatti, the federal minister for minorities. He said there was no truth in the allegation that the Koran had been defiled.

Mr. Bhatti said hundreds of radical Muslims burned more Christians’ homes on Saturday, killing the six Christians. Television images showed houses burning and streets strewn with debris and blackened furniture as mobs ran at each other. Local media also reported that gunfights had broken out between Christians and Muslims.

Pakistan is a predominantly Sunni Muslim state where Christians are a tiny minority. Although the two groups generally live peacefully, pro-Taliban militants have periodically attacked churches and Christians since the Sept. 11 attacks, accusing them of sympathizing with the United States. Mr. Bhatti said the attackers belonged to Sipah-e-Sahaba, a banned group that is accused of attacking security forces and carrying out bombings in recent years.
The Punjab law minister, Rana Sanaullah, said that the authorities had investigated the allegation of a Koran being defaced but that “our initial reports say that there has not been any incident of desecration.” Mr. Sanaullah said that although the riots had calmed by Friday, “some miscreants and extremists entered the city today and pushed people toward armed clashes.”

Elsewhere, police officials said Saturday that they had arrested a member of an outlawed group that is linked to Al Qaeda and the Taliban and is suspected of involvement in the 2002 beheading in Karachi of Daniel Pearl, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

Rao Shakir, believed to be a member of the militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, was arrested late Friday on the outskirts of Islamabad, the capital, a police official said. The group, a banned Sunni Muslim organization, has been blamed in the killings of Shiites in Pakistan. Its members have also been accused of attacks against Westerners in Karachi.

(New York Times)