TOBA TEK SINGH, PAKISTAN (ANS) -- The Muslim residents of Gojra, Faisalabad, a small town in the Punjab province of Pakistan, where seven Christians were burnt alive by miscreants on August 1, have demanded that Christians who have been accused of provoking violence be arrested within 48 hours.

Surveying the ruins: A Christian women in Pakistan visit a house that was destroyed by a mob in Gojra (Photo: PA)

The calls for the arrest of the Christian men whose names were added in the supplementary version of the Police First Information Report (FIR) became strident on Tuesday, September 22, 2009, after a Muslim man who had allegedly opened fire on Christian residents of Gojra on August 1 died in Allied Hospital, Sargodha. The deceased had suffered injuries during the Gojra violence.

The original Police First Information Report did not have names of Christians but in a supplementary version of the FIR 100 Christians were mentioned as unidentified whereas 29 others were named including John Samuel, Bishop of the Church of Pakistan, his two sons Adnan and Sharoon, Finias Paul, member Tehsil Council Gojra, and Abid Mukhtar Randhawa

The Muslims have given a 48 hour ultimatum to the police, warning that the onus of consequences will be on the administration if the Christian accused of provoking violence were not arrested.

The Muslims man’s death on Tuesday raised fears among Christians of a repeat of August-like violence as Amjad, the deceased lived in an area next to the Christian colony.

Keeping in view the sensitive situation and risk of Christians coming under Muslim attack, stringent measures had been taken by the police to avoid any further trouble for the Christians during passing of funeral procession of the deceased.

Heavy contingents of police had been deployed around the Christian colony. There was also a heavy presence of police outside Bishop House and the Catholic Church.

Radical Muslim clerics made announcements from local mosques urging believers to “attend the funeral of martyr Amjad.”

ANS has learned that the administration have asked deceased family to change the route of the funeral procession.

Commenting on the situation Simon Qamar, former Councilor of Gojra, said that the Christians would give “sacrifices of their lives” for “protection of their honor and survival in Pakistan.”

Finias Paul, Tehsil Councilor, said the Christians deserve “justice” and he demanded the killers of the Christians should be “brought to justice.”

He expressed anger over Lahore High Court’s decision to grant bail to 18 Muslims accused of wreaking violence in Gojra.

The Muslim men were arrested under Anti-Terrorism act but they were acquitted by Lahore High Court on Saturday, September 18.

Khalid Gill, a former Councilor of Gojra, said that Christians should “face these trials and tribulations with patience.” He urged the Christians of Gojra to “forge unity in their ranks.”

He underlined the need for repeal of Pakistan blasphemy laws and termed them the “root cause of communal tension.”

Gill went on to say that Muslims cannot stand to see a Christian making progress.

“If someone starts making progress in business or any other field they (Muslims) accuse him of blasphemy,” he stated. “The blasphemy allegations ruins his business, him and his family and sometimes take the life of the accused.”

He alleged that fundamentalist Muslims were carrying out an “economic assassination” of Christians.

Dan Wooding, 68, is an award winning British journalist now living in Southern California with his wife Norma, to whom he has been married for 46 years. He is the founder and international director of ASSIST (Aid to Special Saints in Strategic Times) and the ASSIST News Service (ANS). He was, for ten years, a commentator, on the UPI Radio Network in Washington, DC., and now hosts the weekly “Front Page Radio” show on KWVE in Southern California and which is also carried on the Calvary Radio Network throughout the United States. The program is also aired in Great Britain on UCB UK and Calvary Chapel Radio UK. Wooding is the author of some 43 books. Two of the latest include his autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth”, which is published by Theatron Books. To order a copy, go to . E-mail: danjuma1@aol.com. Wooding, who was born in Nigeria of British missionary parents, also recently released “God’s Ambassadors in Japan” which is available at http://www.amazon.com/Gods-Ambassadors-Japan-Kenny-Joseph/dp/0982486901/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250907756&sr=8-22