Pak cops arrest 150 for Christian enclave raid

Pakistani police on Sunday arrested over 150 people here after a mob torched about 160 homes and two small churches in a Christian neighbourhood

Pakistani police on Sunday arrested over 150 people here after a mob torched about 160 homes and two small churches in a Christian neighbourhood in search of an alleged blasphemer as outraged members of the minority community took to the streets in many cities.

Police launched an operation last night and arrested over 150 suspects during raids in different areas of Lahore,DIG Operations Rai Tahir Hussain said. A spokesman said police and government officials were assessing the damage at Joseph Colony,the neighbourhood that was attacked Saturday,so that aid could be provided to the victims.

Christian groups organised demonstrations in several cities,including Lahore and Karachi,to protest the storming of Joseph Colony by a mob of over 3,000. In Lahore,demonstrators blocked a key highway and police used teargas to disperse protesters.

Trouble began at Joseph Colony on Friday,when over 2,000 enraged Muslims surrounded the neighbourhood and pelted stones at Christian homes. The mob was led by Shafiq Ahmed,who said he was looking for a Christian named Savan Masih as he had allegedly insulted Prophet Mohammed. Some men assaulted Masihs 65-year-old father and burnt his home. On Saturday,the mob returned to Joseph Colony and drove out all Christian families. Masked men armed with sticks set houses and cars on fire.

Meanwhile,Pakistans Supreme Court on Sunday took suo moto notice of the attack. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry had taken notice of the attack on Joseph Colony,officials said.

Minor killed,3 injured in blast

Islamabad: A four-year-old girl was on Sunday killed and three others were injured after a remote-controlled bomb exploded near a mosque in the restive Khyber tribal region in northwest Pakistan,officials said.

The bomb was planted near the entrance of the mosque in Landi Kotal town of Khyber Agency,officials of the political administration said. A house near the mosque was damaged by the blast. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.