or a year now, Tajmal Waheed, a resident of Christian Town in Jaranwala, and his four brothers have been living in a rented house. Their own home lies in charred ruins. The house was looted and set on fire last year during the riots sparked by an allegation of blasphemy.

Waheed works as a sewer man on daily wages for the Municipal Committee in Jaranwala. His brothers also earn their livelihood through similar labour. They have all struggled to rebuild their lives after the assault. Despite extensive damage to their property, the family has received no financial assistance from the government and has been unable to repair or rebuild the house.

“The destruction was immense. Our house was in a shambles. The doors were broken, everything was looted, burnt and destroyed,” Waheed recalls.

Waheed says the assistant commissioner of Jaranwala visited the houses that were set on fire and acknowledged the devestation, but nothing came of it. “He came and saw the charred remains of our home and left. Nothing was done about it,” Waheed says.

The trauma continues to haunt the family, especially the children. Speaking of the psychological scars, Waheed says, “We live in perpetual fear, under the shadow of what happened. If something stirs, our children start trembling and crying. We’re left wondering what will happen to us if something like that [Jaranwala riots] happens again.”

St Paul’s Parish House in Nazareth Colony, Jaranwala, is in ruins, a stark reminder of the violence that erupted on August 16 last year.

Shakeel Bhatti, a former member of the Jaranwala Municipal Committee, says that the protestors not only looted the building but also placed gas cylinders in the middle of the Parish House before starting a fire. “The explosions caused the entire structure to collapse. They made sure that the destruction was comprehensive,” he adds.

Bhatti has tirelessly sought justice, making rounds of the office of assistant commissioner, the police and the Lahore High Court. He has been advocating for the reconstruction of the Parish House and the arrest and prosecution of the arsonists.

“On the order of the High Court, we received a cheque for two million rupees,” Bhatti says. “The estimated cost of rebuilding the Parish House alone is Rs 7-8 million rupees, not to mention the other damage. The support we’ve received is insufficient. It barely scratches the surface.”

“We live in perpetual fear, under the shadow of what happened. If something stirs, our children start trembling and crying. We’re left wondering what will happen to us if something like that [Jaranwala riots] happens again.” 

Mumtaz, another resident of Christian Colony, is among those who received a cheque for two million rupees each from the government. She says the amount is insufficient to fully restore her home. “My husband retired three years ago. We built this house with his retirement benefits. He passed away a few months ago. Now I’m struggling to repair the house. Our lives are full of fear. How can we be sure that the same thing won’t happen again? That the same devils won’t return?” she says.

Mumtaz’s home is situated directly in front of St John’s Church. The two people accused of blasphemy had lived behind the church. Mumtaz recalls that the police came to her street and told the residents to flee as the crowd was too large for them to control.

“Had the police taken appropriate measures before the protesters gathered that day, perhaps our homes could have been saved,” she reflects.

Shakeel Bhatti, says 27 churches and more than 300 houses belonging to the Christian community in Jaranwala were vandalised and set ablaze on the day. “The government has stepped in with help to rebuild, repair and renovate the churches but, by and large, damage to private property has been overlooked,” he says.

Speaking of the renovation of St John’s Church, one of the worst-hit in the riots, he says, “The repair was abandoned midway. The community had to finish the work themselves.”

“The community hall beneath the church, which had housed a computer lab, was destroyed. The equipment, including the computers, was burnt. Nothing has been done to replace it,” says Bhatti.

Bhatti says while some households received relief cheques from the government the funds were never adequate compensation for the losses they had suffered. “Had the government conducted a proper survey of the damage before distributing the cheques, the affected families would not have been deprived,” he says.

Bhatti also says that the riots had had broad impact on the community. “Many people have lost their jobs and our children continue to face discrimination in schools,“ he states.

The violence has taken a personal toll on Bhatti as well. He was forced to close down his once-thriving ready-made garments shop that had been the largest children’s clothing store in the market. “After the incident, the shop was closed for several months. In the end, I decided that it was better to shut it down permanently,” he says.

Bhatti criticises the police for their failure to hold the perpetrators accountable. “99 per cent of those arrested for the riots have been released on bail,” he notes. “They have been welcomed back with fanfare—with drums beating. Flower petals have been showered on them. Our community is left feeling more unsafe than ever,” he says.

A year on, vulnerability and neglect continues to haunt the Christian community in Jaranwala. Its members are struggling to not just rebuild their homes but also mend their sense of safety and belonging.

Most of the survivors say they have not been treated as equal citizens of the country. Many voice their frustration over the lack of justice and accountability. Others have fallen silent and are unwilling to discuss the matter at all.

The district administration maintains that the renovation and rehabilitation of the churches has been completed at the government’s expense and that two million rupees per household was provided to the residents whose homes had been burnt in the riots. According to the district administration, 19 churches and 86 houses were set on fire during the violence.

 ”

“99 per cent of those arrested for the riots have been released on bail,” he notes. “They are welcomed back with fanfare, drums beating. Flower petals are showered on them. Our community is left feeling more unsafe than ever.” 

A request made to the deputy commissioner of Faisalabad under the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013 seven months ago has gone unanswered. An appeal to the Punjab Information Commission regarding the deputy commissioner’s failure to provide the information was dismissed three months ago. A subsequent for an explanation for the reason the information was withheld and the appeal dismissed, has yet to be answered.

The police had registered 22 FIRs against 142 named and 5,071 unidentified rioters. There has been no conviction so far.

According to the information obtained from the police under the Right to Information Act, 131 of the named suspects and another 249 people were arrested. Out of those, 299 are currently in jail on judicial remand. Another 228 accused have been released on bail. After the identification parade 77 of the 163 people have been discharged in investigation. 11 of the named suspects as well as rest of the unidentified ones (4,822) are absconding.

A show cause notice each has been issued to Inspector Mansoor Sadiq, the former SHO, ASI Abbas Ali and Head Constable Abdul Waheed for neglecting their duties.

Police say 31 complaints were received during the last year at the Meesaq Centre, established to provide protection to the Christian community of Jaranwala against discrimination. Currently there is no pending complaint.

Yaqoob* Masih, initially accused of blasphemy, has been acquitted of all charges. However, he hasn’t returned home. His uncle, Bashir* says that their house was the primary target of the mob and was burnt to the ground.

“My family and I returned home after seven months in hiding. We received no help from the government or any NGO. We rebuilt our home with our own limited resources,” he says.

Bashir says he has been unemployed for a year. He says the financial strain has been so severe that his family has struggled at times to provide even one meal a day.

He says it is frustrating to see those who instigated the violence being acquitted. “They should have been held accountable for telling lies to incite people against us. They should have faced the consequences of their actions,” says Bashir.

He says police have told his nephew, Yaqoob, to stay away.

Local leaders of the mainstream political parties including the PML-N, the PTI and the PPP have shown little interest in the rehabilitation of the survivors. In contrast, the local leaders of Jamaat-i-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam have played a considerable role in rehabilitating the victims - a fact acknowledged by the Christian community.

Many of the victims blame members of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan for the incident. FIRs filed in connection with the riots named Asifullah Bukhari, a local TLP leader, as the key suspect. He was arrested but the police released him a few days later. Attempts to contact Bukhari for his comment - via phone calls and WhatsApp messages – were unsuccessful. However, in an interview with Independent Urdu, a month after the riots, Bukhari denied the allegations, claiming that TLP members were falsely implicated. He said he was released after his innocence was established.

During a visit to Faisalabad on August 15, Provincial Minister for Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora was conspicuously silent on the issues of rehabilitation and legal action against those responsible for the violence. His press conferences during the visit focused on the recovery of a Sikh woman and her son who had been held captive in Faisalabad.

When contacted for his comments on the Jaranwala tragedy, Arora initially said he was “preoccupied.” Later, he was unavailable.

Amnesty International has expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s claims regarding the rehabilitation of the victims and legal action against the rioters.

A press release issued by Amnesty International stated that “victims of such violence continue to live in fear as the perpetrators evade accountability.” It has called on the government to take decisive action, holding the perpetrators of mob violence accountable and repeal the blasphemy laws.

The writer has been associated with journalism for the past decade. He tweets@ naeemahmad876