The attack took place on Tuesday in the village of Bahmani near Lahore. Radical Muslims allegedly went on the rampage after a local Muslim cleric accused Christians of blaspheming against Islam's holy prophet Muhammad and encouraged local Muslims to kill them. Around 100 homes were petrol bombed or demolished, while others were looted and vandalised.

The mob assaulted many of the women and young girls in the village, throwing acid at some of them. In a particularly horrific attack, acid was thrown at a young Christian girl as she escaped naked from a petrol bomb that had been thrown into her house while she was having a bath.

Her distress later led her to attempt suicide but lawyers from CLAAS, an organisation that supports persecuted Christians in Pakistan, managed to dissuade her. She and the other women victims have been transferred by CLAAS to a safe place until peace returns to the village.

The attackers also destroyed water pumps, leaving the villagers without running water.

"Everything in their houses has been damaged," said CLAAS lawyer Katherine Sapna. "The villagers have no food to eat and no water."

CLAAS and Sharing Life Ministries Pakistan (SLMP) are assisting the villagers with food and medical treatment. CLAAS has contacted the local authorities to provide water.

Police and some government officials have visited the village in the wake of the attack but in spite of promises made to the director of CLAAS-PK to bring the perpetrators to justice, police have still not registered a case against the men identified by the Christian villagers as the attackers.

The director of CLAAS' UK division, Nasir Saeed, has appealed for a case to be registered against the suspects and an official investigation into the attacks in a letter this week to the government. He urged them compensate the victims and reconstruct their homes.

Mr Saeed said it was imperative that the government take greater action to ensure the safety of Pakistan's religious minorities. He urged the government to repeal the country's draconian blasphemy laws which are frequently misused by Muslims to settle personal scores with Christians.

Christians continue to face persecution in Pakistan, where they make up less than two per cent of the population. In 1997, thousands of Christian homes and several churches were burnt down in the Christian village of Shanti Nagar. Hundreds were injured in the attack, while Christian girls were raped and abducted. There have never been any arrests in connection with the attack.

More recently, Muslims opened fire on the Christian settlement in Teaser Town, Karachi, killing an 11-year-old boy, Irfan, and injuring several others. Some of the men were beaten, houses were set on fire, and Bibles were desecrated.

Mr Saeed commented: "It is a very sad and distressing situation as Christians in Pakistan are under attack; they don't feel secure in their own country simply because they are Christians. The government's reaction is also very disappointing. We have made it aware of these incidents and yet it has failed to take the appropriate action. It is the government's duty to protect its citizens and now is the time to pass legislation that will stop the misuse of the blasphemy law and prevent any further attacks on Christians."

The head of Release International has also condemned the attack and appealed to Christians in the UK to pray for the victims.

"Release is deeply concerned about the growing number of attacks against Christians in Pakistan," said Release. "Extremists are deliberately trying to drive a wedge between communities, and it is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for the Christian minority.

"Please pray for Christians in Bahmani, especially Noreen and the other women and girls who have been traumatised by this acid attack and the destruction of their homes."