A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced a Muslim crane operator to 10 years in prison over his role in anti-Christian riots that erupted in the country’s largest province in 2023.
Irfan Yousaf received the sentence from a court in Pakistan’s Faisalabad district for attacking a Christian neighborhood in August 2023 after two Christian brothers were falsely accused of desecrating a Quran, according to EWTN.
The blasphemy allegations, which were later found to be false and could have carried a life sentence, sparked a violent mob attack in Jaranwala. Thousands of Islamic rioters vandalized 26 churches and roughly 90 Christian homes in the city, where many of the estimated 5,000 Christians live in poverty and crowded conditions.
Authorities later concluded that the two Christian men had been framed because of a personal dispute. An anti-terrorism court acquitted them in 2024.
The court found Yousaf guilty of desecration and arson for using his crane to demolish the Salvation Army Church, the Peace Mission Church and the Pak Khushkhabri Church in Jaranwala on Aug. 16, 2023, UCA News reported.
Judge Waseem Mubarik acquitted 12 others accused in the case, citing insufficient evidence. He also reportedly criticized law enforcement for failing to seek backup during the unrest and for mishandling evidence. The judge ordered authorities to locate and arrest as many as 150 unidentified suspects who remain at large.
EWTN reported that applause broke out when Yousaf’s conviction was announced during a consultation organized by the nongovernmental Implementation Minority Rights Forum and the National Council of Churches in Pakistan, which represents Protestant churches in the country.
Samuel Pyara, chairman of the Implementation Minority Rights Forum, told the Catholic outlet that Yousaf’s conviction was secured largely because of video evidence recorded by a Christian woman.
“It followed forensic analysis of a video recorded by Wahida Mukhtar, a local Christian woman, showing Yousaf demolishing a church and an adjacent house with a crane. Government-certified experts authenticated the footage and testified before the court,” Pyara said.
Pyara also said Christians who testified during the trial faced intimidation.
“One complainant, a brick kiln worker, was suddenly pressured by his employer to repay outstanding loans. A farmer's ready-to-harvest radish crop was poisoned. Others were denied agricultural land by Muslim landlords, young Christians lost their jobs, and an internet cable provider saw his business collapse,” he said.
