The burning of 26 churches in Jaranwala marked one of the largest coordinated attacks on Christian places of worship in Pakistan's history.
Key Facts
- Churches burned
- 26
- Date of attacks
- 16 August 2023
- Perpetrating group
- Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) mob
- Rioters arrested
- More than 100
- Pretext
- False allegations of Quran desecration by a Christian man
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
False allegations spread claiming that a Christian man had desecrated the Quran. These accusations inflamed supporters of the far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan party, who used the claims as justification to organize a mob assault against the Christian community in Jaranwala, Punjab.
On 16 August 2023, a TLP-affiliated mob attacked the Christian community in Jaranwala, burning 26 churches and looting homes belonging to Christian families. The rioters also committed acts of Bible desecration during the attacks, causing widespread destruction across the area.
More than a hundred TLP-affiliated rioters were subsequently arrested. Although the TLP officially distanced itself from the violence, the event drew national and international attention to the vulnerability of religious minorities in Pakistan and reignited debates over the country's blasphemy laws.