LFP has condemned the attacks targeting the Christian community in Gojra, a town in central Punjab, marking the worst anti-Christian violence Pakistan has seen in recent years; and has said that the attacks were not a spontaneous reaction to allegations of blasphemy but were planned in advance.

On July 31, Christian residents say, the preacher at a nearby mosque issued a fiery sermon inciting violence against them. The police visited the Christian community later that night, warning them of possible violence the next day. Some left that very night. But it appears others didn't receive the warning, and were present when thousands of Muslim protesters charged through the town.

Clashes ensued between the advancing Muslim crowd and the much smaller group of Christians trying to push them back. The police were caught in the middle for some time, before they, for reasons that remain unclear, melted away. Some members of the Christian community allege that the police stood by as a group of armed men mounted their attack. Paramilitary forces were dispatched on July 2, but their arrival came too late, residents say.

On August 1, around 1,000 people gathered in the town and marched towards Christian Colony. A police contingent present in the neighborhood did not try to stop the mob.

Many of the attackers wore masks, and some carried guns. They went about destroying Christians’ houses in a professional manner, and seemed to be trained for carrying out such activities. They had brought along petrol and other inflammable substances.

They went door to door, through the narrow and dusty alleyways, asking if there were any Christians inside. When the terrified faces inside replied yes, they poured chemicals on the small, redbrick homes of Episcopalians and Evangelicals, setting them ablaze. In some cases, they didn't bother with the question. Instead, they opened fire and hurled rocks, forcing families to flee in a panic — moments before fresh flames consumed their homes as well. Bullet holes that have been punched into the top story of homes can also be seen. The attackers threw rocks and bricks at the Christians. Then they opened fire.

When the attackers were done, nine people had been killed and 45 homes lay smoldering and destroyed in the clustered Christian colony in less than half an hour. Many of these houses were looted before being torched. Muslims’ houses adjacent to the Christians’ houses were spared. However, amid the brutal killings and destruction in Gojra, some Muslims in the neighborhood provided shelter to Christian women fleeing the violence.

They destroyed the one-room Faith Bible Church, burning several copies of the Bible in the process. Inside, bricks are strewn across the floor. The stinging smell of the chemicals used still hangs in the air.

A number of attackers were from the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan and other militant organisations. The Regional Police Officer (RPO) said that many of the attackers had come from outside the district, possibly from Jhang. A senior member, Qari Saifullah, served as Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud's righthand man and trained scores of suicide bombers. The group's even more vicious offshoot, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, is considered al-Qaeda's front in Pakistan. The enduring and undisturbed presence of Sipah-e-Sahaba and other militant groups in central and southern Punjab has led many analysts to predict that the militants will open up their next front here. Already, the Pakistan army has said that "splinter groups" from Jaishe Mohammad have been fighting alongside the Taliban in Swat. And Punjab is also home to front groups of Lashkare Taiba, the outlawed militant group that was blamed for November 2008's Mumbai massacre.

The roots of the attack lie in Korian, a village five miles away from Gojra. There, a Christian family was celebrating a wedding on July 28 when, somehow, a rumor spread alleging that the revelers had torn the pages of the Quran and thrown them in the air. No evidence has emerged that this actually happened. But the mere suggestion appeared to set off days of rioting. Christian homes in Korian were torched, before the violence spread to Gojra.

This isn't the first time that this has happened. Similar episodes of broke out in the towns of Shantinagar in 1997, and Shangla Hill in 2005. In June 2009, accusations of blasphemy triggered violence in four different towns in Punjab. On July 4, two people were killed in the town of Muridke after a similar accusation was raised. In each case, blasphemy laws are used as a pretext for attacks on religious minorities. Anger is now spreading in Pakistan's Christian community.

On July 5, riots broke out in Lahore's Youhanabad neighborhood, where stick-wielding Christian protestors smashed buses and property.

The government has ordered a judicial commission to investigate what happened and parliament passed a unanimous resolution condemning the violence. Islamabad's gestures, however, have done little to assure Pakistan's estimated 3 million Christians, who are 60% Catholic, 40% Protestant (the second largest religious minority after Hindus). Many now question whether they can remain safe in a country that has long neglected them, and continues to have blasphemy laws that have been repeatedly exploited by violent extremists.

The blasphemy laws date back to the colonial era. The late military dictator General Ziaul Haq introduced a further, harsher clause as part of his sweeping "Islamization" program (section 295-C). The current ruling party, the PPP, vowed to repeal it in its election manifesto. As yet, nothing has been done.

LFP has stated that the barbaric attacks are an embarrassment for any society or people who call themselves civilised.

LFP believes that the local administration’s inaction ahead of the riots was intriguing; and has said that the tragic incidents of Gojra amount to failure by the government to protect minorities, either through administrative measures or legislative ones. The culprits, including the local administration, must be brought to justice in an expeditious and transparent manner.

The government must act to prevent any attacked based on a person’s faith, instead of belatedly reacting through award of compensation. It must also ensure that its vows of ensuring interfaith harmony move beyond rhetoric.

LFP extends its sympathy and sorrow with affected families of Gojra; condemn the brutal, inhuman and shameful act of terrorism in Gojra; and the criminal negligence of local administration of Gojra, which ultimately took the lives of innocents Pakistanis

LFP also demands that the State should take necessary action against the officials of Gojra DPO, RPO and DSP; and the release of compensation to the families of death persons and owners of damage houses/properties as soon as possible.

LFP also calls for the immediate arrest of culprits, involved in Gojra incidence.

LFP also asks the Government of Pakistan to repeal all discriminatory laws, including the blasphemy, Hudood Ordinances, and the discriminatory clause in the Qanune Shahadat.

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