Killing Of Christians Triggers Unrest In Pakistan

Pakistani security officials carry the bodies of two Christians killed outside a court in Faisalabad on July 19.

The situation in the east-central Pakistani city of Faisalabad is tense after the killing of two Christians accused of distributing anti-Islamic leaflets, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reports.

Brothers Sajjad and Rashid Emmanuel were shot dead on July 19 at a local court. The gunmen fled the scene.

A policeman escorting the two men was injured.

The brothers had been accused of distributing handwritten pamphlets on July 10 that contained alleged "disrespectful material" about the Prophet Muhammad.

Local leaders of the Christian community deny the men had written such things.

The slain brothers came from the city's Christian neighborhood of Daoodnagar, where angry mobs of Christian youths came into the streets after the killings.

At least 10 people were injured when demonstrators threw stones at vehicles and shops. Fights also broke out between Christians and Muslims after the
killings.

The government has banned rallies in Faisalabad and deployed security forces at churches and in districts where the minority Christians live.

Faisalabad is Pakistan's third-largest city, with some 2.2 million inhabitants.