Khurrarianwala, Punjab: December 11, 2008. Tension between the local Christians and Muslims of Khurrarianwala was escalating as Christians took out a rally on the second day of their protest and blocked the Jarranwala-Khurrarianwal road for nearly four (04) hours, against the demolition of 50 Christian graves near Chak (village) # 126/GB of Tehsil (an administrative division) Khurrarianwala, District Jarranwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Angry Christian mob burnt tyres on the said road, chanted slogans against the local Maal Department (Land Requisition Department) and carried banners expressing their pain and anger over the demolition of graves of their ancestors, on Saturday the Dec 6th. PCP learnt from the residents of a Christian slum ‘Eessa Nagar’ situated just off the Jarranwala-Khurrarianwala road that Christian mob comprising of 300 Christian men and women was led by local Christian elder Chaudhary Saleem Masih, local Christian politician and member of Town Council Jarranwala Shamaoun Bhatti, Pastor Rev Mehboob Alam and Pastor Rev Pervez Masih. Chaudhary Saleem Masih told PCP that some powerful and influential local Muslim landlords had demolished and desecrated the graves of their beloved ancestors by throwing their bones in open, cut trees and forcibly occupied some portion of the Christian graveyard to construct a shopping mall there. Christian political leader and Member of the Jarranwala Town Council Mr. Shamaoun Bhatti added that this land was allotted for the Christian graveyard before Indo-Pak partition in 1947, by the British Government. Bhatti also alleged that radical Muslim landlords are trying their best with the help of officers of the Maal Department (Land Requisition Department) to occupy more land of the Christian graveyard. He further said that we informed the local police about the illegal occupation but to no avail. Local Christian clergy men Pastor Rev Mehboob Alam and Rev Pervez Masih said that Christian protestors blocked and torched tyres on the Jarranwala-Khurrarianwala road from 1200 to 1600 hours (Pakistan Time). They went on saying that angry Christian mob carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the local Maal Department and demanding recovery of the land from the illegal occupants. “Christian mob also shouted slogans against the injustice of the local police and corruption and inclination of Maal Department (Land Requisition Department) towards the fanatic Muslim landlords”, added both the Pastors “during the protest Christians appealed to the Pakistani Premier Yousaf Raza Gillani to look into the matter immediately and ensure that justice is served to the Christians”. Assistant Commissioner (AC) (Deputy Head of Administrative Machinery) of Jarranwala addressed the angry demonstrators and pledged to provide justice to the Christians. At this occasion AC of Jarranwala also summoned the officials of the local Maal Department (Land Requisition Department) with complete land record of the Christian graveyard in his office. When asked by PCP, Muslim landlords denied the allegations and said that they had neither demolished nor occupied any part of the Christian graveyard. Chairman of a rights group ‘Rays of Development Organization’ (ROD) Mr. Ferhan Mazhar condemned the unlawful occupation and said that by denying the allegations fanatic Muslim landlords had actually lied to the media and local administration. He added that I have myself visited the graveyard and seen the unlawful occupation and shopping mall under construction there.