“It is surprising that some miscreants in the name of Allah and His Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) burnt our church,” Bishop Peter Majeed told reporters on the premises of the church.

He said both Muslims and Christians were against acts of blasphemy. “We have already condemned the production of the profane movie. It was produced to create differences among Christians and Muslims,” Peter Majeed argued.

Father Ghulam Shad, Father Chand and other elders of the Christians were also present on the occasion

Peter Majeed said some hundreds of people protesting against the sacrilegious movie on Friday entered the church and torched it. He said they also set on fire the school and the library that contained thousands of books. He alleged that the attackers had come prepared with petrol to burn down the church.

He claimed some of the protesters wanted to burn his child Zeeshan but Allah saved him. “The rampage continued for more than three hours, but the local administration and the police didn’t take any action. Finally, we contacted the police high-up, but they only sent five cops,” he added.

Peter Majeed said the Christians have been living peacefully in Mardan for years and the ransacking of the church has caused anxiety among them about their safety. “Now we feel that our lives and property are not safe in Mardan,” he added.

He held the local administration responsible for the destruction of the church as it could not put measures in place to protect it.