Several families fled Rawalpindi’s Christian Colony on Thursday night after rumours spread that a mob was going to attack the Christian neighbourhood.
The police, however, have said that a feud between two Christian families had caused tensions.
The incident comes at the heel of the August 16 riots in Punjab’s Jaranwala where 19 churches and 86 Christian houses were burnt down after allegations about desecration of the Holy Quran.
Reports said the people in Rawalpindi’s Christian Colony locked their homes and fled the neighbourhood when rumours spread that their houses would be burnt down.
A police statement issued on Friday said senior police officials rushed to the area and found that there were no communal tensions.
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It said two Christian families involved in a feud had issued threats to each other.
Rawalpindi police stood alert and present at the spot and the situation is peaceful, the statement added.
The police spokesperson also said that the police had rejected social media rumours.
It merits here to mention that despite people returning to their homes after the Jaranwala violence many people from the minority community fear for their life in the Faisalabad district.
A young girl from the affected district asked some chilling questions to interim Punjab chief minister Mohsin Naqvi after his speech during a visit to the area.
“Can you guarantee this won’t happen again? Can you ensure our safety? Can you confirm that I, as a Pakistani Christian, am valued?” she asked Naqvi.
Christians, who make up around two per cent of the population, occupy one of the lowest rungs in Pakistani society. Hundreds of Christians fled the violence in Jaranwala, many unable to return yet – their houses gutted and broken contents strewn across the street.
Most of them are sanitary workers on meagre wages who occupy cramped homes shared by up to 18 people.
