'Pakistan Offers Compensation To Christians Whose Homes Were DESTROYED By Mob'
Pakistani authorities on Monday handed out thousands of dollars to nearly 100 Christian families whose homes were destroyed or damaged by a Muslim mob angered over an alleged desecration of the Quran last week.
The government of caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said each household was getting 2 million rupees ($6,800) in compensation on Monday.
Police said they have arrested dozens more rioters in ongoing raids, bringing the total number of those detained over the attacks in the city of Jaranwala to 160.
On Wednesday, hundreds of Muslims went on a rampage over allegations that a Christian man and his friend had desecrated Islams holy book.
Christians who fled their homes to escape the attackers later returned to a scene of destruction.
Many have been living outside since, fearing the burned structures may collapse.
The rampage, one of the most destructive in the countrys history, drew nationwide condemnation.
Kakar on Monday travelled to the area to meet with some of the victims of the attacks and hand out the compensation.
He promised in a televised speech that the state will ensure the protection of minorities, including Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and Ahmadis.
Kakar said none of the rioters will go unpunished, describing those behind the attacks as enemies of humanity.
Earlier in the day, Mohsin Naqvi, the top official in Punjab province, where Jaranwala is located, announced the compensations on X, previously known as Twitter.
Naqvi visited the city on Sunday and held a meeting of local officials at a burned church.
All 26 churches in Jaranwala were attacked, burned or damaged, he said.
The rioters said a local Christian and his friend tore pages out of a Quran, threw them on the ground and wrote insulting remarks on other pages. Police have arrested the two men.
Police say local leaders from the hardline Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan party also incited people to violence during which a Christian graveyard was desecrated.
The party has a history of staging violent rallies in Pakistan over the desecration of the Quran in Sweden, Denmark and elsewhere.
Naqvi said the compensations would be completed within the next 48 hours and said that authorities have begun to repair the churches.
However, Mukhtar challenged Naqvis claim about the repair of churches, saying that the walls of two churches were only painted instead of being rebuilt.
Under Pakistans blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting Islam can be sentenced to death.
While authorities have yet to carry out capital punishment for blasphemy, often mere accusations can incite mobs to violence and lynching.
'Britney Spears Breaks Silence On DIVORCE: 'I Couldn't Take The Pain Anymore' '.
Britney Spears has broken her silence after news of her divorce emerged last week, telling her 42 million Instagram followers: As everyone knows, Hesam and I are no longer together 6 years is a long time to be with someone so, Im a little shocked but... I'm not here to explain why because it's honestly nobody's business. But, I couldn't take the pain anymore honestly."
It comes as her husband Sam Asghari is seeking financial support from the pop superstar in his divorce filing.
The Los Angeles County court document filed late Wednesday says the couple separated nearly three weeks ago.
Posting on Instagram after the news broke, Asghari wrote: "After six years of love and commitment to each other my wife and I have decided to end our journey together.
"We will hold on to the love and respect that we have for each other and I wish her the best always. S*** happens. Asking for privacy seems ridiculous so I will just ask for everyone including media to be kind and thoughtful."
Spears married Asghari at her Southern California home in June 2022 in front of guests including Selena Gomez and Madonna. The wedding was seen as a milestone in her newly reclaimed life after she was freed from a court conservatorship that controlled her life for well over a decade.
Spears met and began dating Asghari in 2016. It was the third marriage for the 41-year-old. It comes as the singer's memoir, 'The Woman In Me' is due to be released in October.
This is the moment police in Ecuador use an armoured vehicle to retake a prison from rioting gang members. Hundreds of police and soldiers entered Litoral prison in Guayaquil to restore order. Using loudspeakers, they told prisoners not to resist the onslaught of security forces.
The jail houses more than 5,000 inmates, many associated with violent gangs such as Los Choneros, Los Lobos, Los Tiguerones and Latin Kings.
Ecuadors prisons have been in a state of crisis for years, frequently requiring police and military intervention to wrest control from those inside.
Another dramatic 2021 raid of Turi prison in Cuenca was captured on bodycam.
Litoral Prison, the site of the latest violence, has been the location of at least 4 other riots since 2021, killing hundreds of people. The latest raid comes just a week after the police entered the prison to quell yet another riot. Fifteen soldiers were wounded after inmates threw grenades at them.
Ecuador has increasingly found itself at the heart of the global drugs trade. Cartels and gangs from across South and Central America are engaged in bloody battles for control of supply routes and ports. The murder rate in Ecuador is rising faster than any other country in the region, almost doubling every year since 2021.
In response the government has supplied the police and military with heavy weapons and armoured vehicles, and imposed curfews. But theres little indication that any of these measures are working to reduce the murder rate, or bring an end to prison violence.
