Home of Rafaqat Masih burned in rioting that began Aug. 16, 2023 in Christian Town, Jaranwala, Pakistan. (Morning Star News)
Published August 22, 2023
LAHORE, Pakistan (Morning Star News) – Police in Pakistan on Saturday night (Aug. 19) charged a Christian with blasphemy for uploading on TikTok a video of content that last week led to attacks on Christian homes and businesses in Jaranwala more than 100 kilometers away, sources said.Tensions flared over the weekend in 186/9-L village, Sahiwal, Punjab Province when members of Islamist extremist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan called for protests against the alleged blasphemy after the TikTok post by 27-year-old Ehsaan Shan Masih went viral.
“A major crisis was averted due to timely action by the police, otherwise the entire Christian community of Sahiwal was in a state of perpetual fear since Saturday afternoon,” Bishop Abraham Daniel of the Sahiwal Baptist Church told Morning Star News.