More than 40 people have been arrested in connection with the death of a pregnant Pakistani woman and her husband near Radha Kishan village, Punjab province on November 4.

Shama Bibi and her husband, Shahbaz Masih, were attacked by a mob and thrown into a brick kiln after being accused of burning pages of the Koran.

As many as 4,000 people may have taken part in the attack, and 44 people were arrested in the days following the murder. On Monday, Pakistani authorities announced that two men identified as the leaders of the mob had been apprehended.

Friends of the murdered couple reported that they were actually burning a deceased relative's papers, and had not torn pages out of the Muslim holy book.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation into the deaths of Bibi and Masih, and called for added security in Christian neighbourhoods.

A senior priest in Pakistan, Father James Channan, blamed the deaths on rogue enforcement of the country's blasphemy laws, which forbid the defamation of the Prophet Mohammad, and the desecration of the Koran.

"The problem with these laws is that most often they are used to settle personal scores, such [as] business disputes," he told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. "In any case, who in their sound mind would burn pages of the Qur'an or insult the dignity of the Prophet Mohammed?"

Channan said that the religious minorities are most vulnerable to persecution and false accusations stemming from prejudice.

"These laws are so dangerous that once a person is accused his or her life in Pakistan has become impossible," he explained. "Even if the courts eventually declare an individual innocent, radical Muslims may still murder the person, which is considered an act worthy of praise."