Two Christian brothers who were gunned down outside district courts Faisalabad on Monday, July 19, 2010 after being accused of "blaspheming" the Prophet Muhammad were laid to rest on Tuesday, July 20, 2010.
A large number of Christians paid tribute to Rashid Emmanuel, 30, and his brother Sajid, 27, at the memorial service on Tuesday, at St. Mary's Catholic Church, in Faisalabad, and later at their burial.
The brothers, who were displayed in an open coffin, had been accused of distributing pamphlet containing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, a charge they both denied.
According to Babar Sahotra of Christian Strategic Institute (CSI) Pakistan, the situation remained tense late on Monday night as rioters from both sides maintained their presence on the roads.
Mr. Sahotra said that the police was not able to disperse the rioters until 3 am on Tuesday morning.
The Christian rights activist alleged to ANS that the Catholic Church attempted to keep funeral service of the deceased "secret."
According to the Minorities Concern of Pakistan (MCOP) the deceased were buried at 8:00 am on Tuesday to avoid further clashes between Christians and Muslims.
Mr. Sahotra also alleged that the ambulance that carried the deceased to the graveyard had a Kalma [Proclamation of Islamic faith] emblazoned on its back.
"There was no sign of cross on the coffins. The lid of coffin box had not been nailed," said Mr. Sahotra.
He said the Catholic Church seemed to be acting at the behest of government "who wanted to ensure burial of Rashid and Sajid Emmanuel as quickly as possible."
He alleged that it was the local administration that decided the cemetery where the deceased were buried on Tuesday.
"It was far from the area and a Muslim grave digger dug the graves of the two Christian brothers," he claimed.
Mr. Sahotra went on to say that the killers managed to escape despite presence of "policemen" at the scene of incident.
Set up
Christians are claiming that the blasphemy charges against the murdered brothers were untrue.
The complainant in the case, a local trader, Khurram Shehzad, alleged that one of his employees was handed a pamphlet by someone at Faisalabad's general bus stand.
ANS has discovered that the pamphlet, it was claimed, had been signed by the two brothers, whose addresses and mobile phone numbers were also given.
However, Atif Jameel, spokesman for the Pakistan Minorities Democratic Foundation, told the BBC: "No-one in his right mind would issue a derogatory pamphlet against the Prophet and put his name and address on it. This appears to be a conspiracy against peace and religious harmony in Faisalabad."
The Christians of Warispura, a thickly populated Christian area in Faisalabad, housing some 100,000 Christians, had been living in fear and uncertainty after the deceased were accused of blasphemy.
ANS has learned that the situation prompted some Christian families to flee the area especially the ones who were living close to Rashid and Sajid's family.
The killing of the two brothers then sparked riots in Faisalabad.
According to CSI Pakistan the news of the murder of the Christian brothers outraged Christian youth, who took to the streets to condemn killings of the two brothers.
SIC: CNT