Fifty-five Christians from Punjab, including a 12-year-old boy, have been accused of 'blasphemy' after a row over a graveyard.
Local Muslims registered a case against the 55 Christians in the Tehcil Samandri district of Faisalabad, after the Christians began to prepare part of an old Muslim graveyard for use by their own community.
The Christians insist they had permission from a sympathetic Muslim landowner to use that part of the graveyard as it was on his property. But local Muslims attacked the Christians and pressed charges. Police then arrested 14 of the 55 Christians accused, including a 12-year-old; the others have yet to be detained.
The Christians had approached the Muslim landowner about using the land for burials because their own graveyard is full and they are having to resort to using the same plots two or three times. Theirs is a fraction of the size of the Muslim one, which covers 24 acres.
Release partners who took food to the 14 detainees say their families are too scared to leave their homes, for fear of attack. They believe they have succeeded in persuading the police to change the charge from 'blasphemy' to a lesser charge.
(Source: Release partners)