The minority Christian community in Karachi is living in fear after being attacked by enraged mobs after a young boy allegedly stole fruit from a vendor. The attack on the congested Christian colony came around the same time that two Sikhs were beheaded in the tribal areas after their families failed to pay ransoms to militants. Tension prevailed in the Paharganj area which is dominated by Pashtuns most of them affiliated to the Awami national party (ANP) a coalition partner of the ruling government. According to Asif Stephen,a Christian MPA from the area,violent and heavily armed mobs attacked the colony in Pahargang and desecrated two churches in the area and caused heavy damage to Christian homes,school and shops owned or run by Christians. "The trouble started over a small incident where a Christian boy was caught by a Pashtun fruit seller stealing from his cart. The vendor hit the boy which led to protests from nearby Christians who slapped him around," Stephen said. "After the incident the Christian colony was attacked by angry mobs who were heavily armed and who injured many of our people," he said. He said the police had also played a biased role and at least eight to nine Christians were charged with rioting and jailed without any evidence.
