A drunken row between two friends was the trigger for blasphemy allegations that prompted a mob of angry Muslim protesters to burn more than 100 Christian homes, police and witnesses said. More than 3,000 people rampaged through Joseph Colony, a Christian area, on Saturday after allegations that a Christian had made derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet (PBUH) three days earlier.
More than 60 people have been arrested over Saturday's incident, police and officials said, and Pervez Rashid, spokesman for Punjab government, told private TV channel that "culprits would be tried in anti-terrorist courts".
The senior police official for the area, Multan Khan, said the trouble began with a row between Sawan Masih, a Christian sanitary worker, and his Muslim friend Shahid Imran. "They used to sit together and drink together almost every evening. They were drunk on Wednesday when they had some arguments," Khan told reporters on Saturday.
It was during the argument that Masih allegedly made the blasphemous remarks, Khan said, prompting Imran to report the matter to police, who arrested the Christian on Friday. Local resident Altaf Masih, also a sanitary worker, said "while they were drunk they had an argument over discussion on religious issues".