LAHORE, March 15: Police on Friday released to the media photographs of seven accused wanted in the Joseph Colony attack.

According to a press release, the Badami Bagh police had declared the seven main accused in a case lodged against attackers for burning the houses of Christians.

The accused were identified as Bao Sajjad Husain, Haji Shabbir Ali, Mian Saleem, Tariq Mahmood, Usman Butt, and two unidentified men.

Judicial remand

An anti-terrorism court on Friday sent 13 accused to jail on judicial remand for Joseph Colony arson.

The court acquitted one accused on the police report.

The Badami Bagh police investigation officer produced the accused before the court under strict security arrangements and stated that the interrogation had been completed and no physical custody of the accused was required. He said the court could send the accused to jail on judicial remand.

The officer also told the court that one of the accused, Mian Saleem, was found innocent in the preliminary investigation. He said the police arrested Saleem due to name similarity with the nominated accused, however, verification of the identity documents proved him innocent.

The court acquitted Saleem and sent 13 to jail on judicial remand. They are: Riaz Gujjar, Amjad, Usman, Latif, Afzal, Imran, Khalil, Nadeem, Imran Ahmad, Muhammad Nazir, Imran Baig, Sheikh Abad and Rashid Ahmad.

50 houses complete

Fifty houses in Joseph Colony have been repaired while work on 64 others is going on.

A city district administration official said 50 families had been shifted to their rehabilitated houses. The houses were built by the Lahore Development Authority with the Communications and Works Department.

Up to 280 families, including 661 children, living in 114 houses at Joseph Colony were displaced when a mob burnt their houses for the alleged blasphemy by a resident of the locality on March 9.

The official said he expected the completion of the remaining houses in three to four days.