A Pakistani Muslim in the Punjabi town of Sangla Hill dropped formal charges last week against a Christian he had accused of setting fire to pages of the Quran.
Mohammed Saleem's accusation - broadcast over mosque loudspeakers in November - triggered a violent reprisal from local Muslims, destroying four churches and landing Yousaf Masih in jail for allegedly desecrating the Quran. Threats against the town's Christians have continued since the November 12 attack.
As part of a reconciliation agreement reached by local Muslim and Christian leaders on January 5, Saleem signed an affidavit declaring Masih innocent.
For their part, local Christian leaders agreed not to press charges against the mob of 2,000 Muslims who attacked the town's Christian community. Police have held 88 rioters in custody since the assault.
In a gesture to the Christian community, Asif Jilani Sheikh of Punjab's Provincial Assembly apologized on behalf of the rioters and requested the Christians' help in defusing tensions.
Father Samson Dilawar of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Sangla Hill told Compass that Jilani Sheikh said, "We would like to request you to help us to release these 88 people, because we have so much pressure from these 88 families that are pestering us."
Dilawar and a Presbyterian pastor, the Rev. Tajjamal Pervaiz, were among those who signed the agreement. Both their churches had been destroyed by the mob.
Case Not Closed
It is not yet clear how the agreement will affect legal proceedings.
A few days ago, a local court in Sangla Hill's Nankana district reportedly refused to grant bail to the 88 rioters, even though they had appealed based on the new compromise. Yousaf Masih also remains under arrest.
"Actually, this compromise does not mean a stop to the legal process," Dilawar stated. "It is an official process and it will go on. The agreement shows all the 88 affected families that it is not we [Christians] that are not doing anything to get their people released. The government is responsible for releasing them all."
The agreement promises to end ongoing harassment against Sangla Hill's Christians. Dilawar reported that since last week, Friday sermons at the local mosque have been free of anti-Christian hate-speech, and newspapers have discontinued inflammatory articles against the religious minority.
