Army units (foreground) deployed along with heavy contingents of police (background) in Multan following clashes. PHOTO: SHAHID SAEED/EXPRESS
Out of the total 40 injured, 25 are said to be in critical condition and have been taken to the emergency ward of Nishtar Hospital, Multan. Three policemen are among the critically-injured.
Owing to the worsening condition, Section 144 has been imposed in Multan.
A day after sectarian clashes in Rawalpindi killed eight people, and injured over 80, the situation in Multan worsened on Saturday morning when local clerics of Jamia Mosque Omar Farooq claimed that a group had raised objectionable slogans outside their mosque. The clerics then demanded that they wanted to lodge an FIR against the group.
Riots then broke out after a mob tried to attack Imambargah Shah Yousuf Gardez and - after facing resistance from the police - they went on to damage public property in parts of the city.
This resulted in furious clashes and the district administration, without waiting for the police, immediately called the Pakistan Army and Rangers in to control the situation.
There was an exchange of fire in different urban areas including Bohar Gate, Ghanta Ghar, Doulat Gate, Chowk Shaeedaan and Railway Road.
Angry mobs forced markets to shut down and protestors also attacked vehicles belonging to the Multan Commissioner, accusing him of favouring the Shia community.
Police resorted to using tear-gas shells and baton charged protesters in an attempt to deter those attacking and burning public property.
Government response
The army has been put on high alert all over Punjab in wake of riots in Rawalpindi, Express News reported on Saturday.
The Punjab High Court has received an inquiry, ordered by Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, into the outbreak of violence in Rawalpindi on Friday.
The riots at an Ashura procession on Friday were a result of clashes between two groups and the culprits need to be found and apprehended, the inquiry directed.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar was also been briefed on the outbreak of violence in Rawalpindi, Express News reported.
Earlier on Saturday, Chaudhry Nisar had chaired a meeting comprising senior officers of the Interior Ministry to review the law and order situation in Rawalpindi, reported Radio Pakistan. He also held telephonic conversations with Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Nisar also appealed to the public to show restraint and to aid authorities in identifying the culprits behind the riots.
After violence broke out in Raja Bazar, Rawalpindi yesterday, a curfew had been imposed in the city on the request of the Rawalpindi Commissioner and IG Punjab. Police and Army there is currently holding the curfew and remain on high alert.
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry stated the situation in Rawalpindi is under control and that Friday's incident will be investigated through a judicial inquiry under a judge of the high court.
The curfew in Rawalpindi was briefly relaxed for half an hour between 6:00-6:30pm, and then again from 9:30pm to 1am. The curfew is expected to come back in force after 1am on November 17, however, it has not been announced for how long will the curfew last.
The Interior Ministry has also decided to suspend mobile networks in Islamabad from 1am to 2pm on November 17, while the networks will remain suspended indefinitely in Rawalpindi, Express News reported.
Section 144 in Faisalabad
Though the Ashura processions had concluded peacefully in Faisalabad, the authorities have imposed Section 144 in the city as a preemptive security measure.
Senior police officials had held meetings with peace committees of Ulema of various sects and urged them to help the administration keep peace on Friday.
COMMENTS (55)
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@ zayyad. Its only one sect that ridicule one sect of Sahaba. All other sects respect all Sahaba.
@M. Emad: When the two nations theory is applied again then this time several new Pakistans will be created out of India!
@Raj - USA: They are exposed to cruelty right from their childhood and they can later on practice it as adult without any sympathy or compunction.
when the army divide itself into sunni and shia ,then you know that pak is dead
There is no need to drag Saudi Arab in this matter. This is pure Pakistan's own matter and govt is responsible for not handling it properly.
All iknow is plz reactivate ur services as it cud be an emergency
@faizaan: Do it. Who has stopped you?
@zayyad: If somebody is hurting himself, why do you feel the pain? Why a group wants to mourn the martyrdom of Hussain? Are they guilty? If not what is their concern?
Put and enforce BAN on all religious processions. period
@Raj - USA: It is more of the same in India, on much bigger scale though, and more volatile.
http://indianterrorism.bravepages.com/gujarat%20pictures%202.htm
@Magdum Hussain: There is no shortage of bigots and extremist elements in Pakistan and India alike. There seems to be some kind of competition going. The number of people killed in communal violence in India is many a time higher than Pakistan. Infact the country which immediately come to mind when communal violence is mentioned is India. It is deplorable in any form and manifestation whether they are in India or Pakistan, here its the common denominator.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/hindu-mobs-burning-christian-homes-and-churches
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/31/india.religion
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/indian-court-finds-hindus-guilty-of-killing-dozens-of-muslims-in-2002-riots/2011/11/09/gIQAnacA5M_blog.html
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-otherstates/30-houses-burnt-in-bolangir-in-communal-clash/article2827541.ece
@Enough: Iran and Saudi regimes all export terrorism to other parts of the world (both are battling it out in Syria and Iraq)....it's getting annoying....we don't want either Shiism or Wahhabism, thank God we still have some sane Muslims who reject violence, that is SUFIS whether Qadiyanna or Naqshbandi, these are pure forms of Islam where the focus is on ONESELF, not dictating it on anyone else. Enough already! Can you please let my comments go through ET I've seen you let go comments that are utterly offensive
The jumping man in the picture should take part in olympics !
what else we said a war is? no problem to any anti pakistan bodies just gona sitting relaxed & watching people killing their own people.. whatever our religious believes are we all are pakistanies & whatever is happening destroying our country. May we make our eyes open & the issues gets resolved v soon..
These two holidays of 9th and 10th Moharram we always use to clean up our homes, drawers, cabinets etc as no one wants to go out and be a victim of 'mourners' as we believe that how can a person who don't pity himself while doing 'matam' can show respect to others.
When JI and JUI-F realised they could get away with insulting our dead soldiers, they have quickly gone to Step No: 2 ....... sectarian violence to further destabilise an already unstable state.
The "Dark Age" of Pak begin.........God bless not anyone but all Muslimx......
Two cents; why does Sectarian violence only takes place in Nawaz regime
It is always the Maulvis.All they believe is in violence in the garb of religion.They incite mobs and are blood-thirsty. They have fatwas against ridiculous and irrelevant things,but nobody issues fatwas against this violence of their religion against their own.The sooner Pakistan separates religion thereby illiterate mullahs from politics,the better.
@ Ali Solangi - “Yes it is religion of peace but Pakistanis are black scar on this religion”
Surely you jest given proclamations by Pakistan that they are Citadel of Islam, Sole Islamic Nuclear Power, an Islamic Republic etc. which gives the impression they are Uber Muslims. So much so that King Farouk of Egypt apparently after being lectured on Islam by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Egypt famously commented “I had no idea Islam came into existence on 14 August 1947”.
I also want to become an "INTELLECTUAL",, so i have these comments to offer:- 1. Its all because of our Intelligence Agencies 2. And their quest for "Strategic Depth" in Afghanistan (and like all INTELLECTUALS, I know nothing about it) 3. Every evil in this country is because of our participation in Afghan Jihad (and like all INTELLECTUALS, I have no answer to this question that what for Russia come in Afghanistan) 4. Hold Army accountable for this incident,,, I longing to see the day, when our Army Chief is behind the bars 5. Appoint a senator, or an MNA, or some "Senior Anchor" as DG ISI,, everything will be solved. 6. And our short and long term cure of all problems is and immediate hug with Indians (no matter how badly they kick me back)
Am I certified "Intellectual" or not, dudes ????????????????
faizaan, ask yourself this question. Why don't you carry out such processions?
A country born in hate, grown in hate following mullahs, moulivis, clerics and all other uncultured crooks cannot be better than Pakistan. What they teach in madrassas is put to practice in the streets. A great and pious nation which celebrate one festival by slaughtering animals, and other festival by slaughtering innocent people. Through Islamic bomb on our heads so that next generation at least live in peace.
@Hehe: Your comment: "I don’t think we realize that such tendencies are borne out of childhood experiences and early education. Revision of curriculum to allow for more tolerant and acceptable views and opinions of others, the ability to critically analyse events, situations and opinions is what we need to inculcate in children. Only last Eid ul Adha, I saw parents and uncles of two year olds letting the children go near the slaughtering area and on top of that once the qurbani was done, I was absolutely shocked to see the children carrying the heads of the slaughtered animals with their own hands and the ‘elders’ instead of taking notice seemed happy on their apparent ‘daleri’ (bravery)."
You are not off topic but hit the core of the issue. I have been saying in many of my comments that more of a problem is the teachings and examples set in home by moms & dads rather than the teachings by the mullas in the madrassas.
That dude in the green jumping over the fire looks like he's having second thoughts
LOL...
Most people in other countries wash there cars, go to the park, catch up with weekly chores..
We seems to declare "holy war" on ourselves
The day we stop doing religious activities on Roads just to show off how good muslims we are more then 90% of our problems will be solved.
@ETmods. Pls I want to report @abdulmannan whose comment here is purely hatred and crime incitement. We expect responsible behaviour from the mods and hope you can keep situation under control here.
Have we had enough of mullahism...? Or do we want more...? Can any one name one constructive thing Mullahs have done for Pakistan...? There is a huge difference between mullahism and islam... People who want to ape their Saudi and Iranian paymasters should go there. We should respect every ones religious beliefs Pakistan Zindabad
@ambreen: some tries to find heaven under feet of his-her mother, other by providing to,not so fortunate enough. Others through Mecca and some with a bath in Ganga. This guy in picture, that is how he feels to offer his gratitude, fine with me and I respect him for that. Bullah Ki Jana Main Kaun.
@unbelievable: Don't blame religion for the acts of these lunatics..Religion, sects, races are just excuses used by the hateful!
It continues to remain baffling to me both as a Non-Pakistani and Non-Muslim that Pakistan, a country claimed to have been founded to provide a safe haven for the Muslims of the Indian Sub-Continent, sees such frequent incidents of violence pitting Muslim against Muslim over differences in interpretation of the Islamic faith. All this even while in the supposed “non-safe haven” area of the Indian Sub-Continent, namely “Hindu India”, the Muslim festival of Muharram passed off peacefully without Muslim’s being molested by Hindu’s and with no need for recourse to measures such as imposing curfew, deploying the Army, shutting down the cell phone network, banning pillion riding and other draconian measures taken in Pakistan.
What is particularly ironic is that Pakistan’s founder Mr. M.A. Jinnah would have risked life and limb for following the practices of his original Shia sect of Islam on the occasion of Muharram in the country he created specifically for Muslims even while members of his original Shia sect of Islam remained unmolested for following their Muharram practices in the country (ie: India) he partitioned on religious grounds!
@unbelievable yes its is religion of peace but Pakistanis are black scar on this reliogion
See that joker...he is having fun in pakistan.......I hope all Pakistanis are not world champions of long jump like the one shown above....ET sometimes u attach a very funny pictures.....
Is this a conspiracy by yahood-o-hanood too? Don't forget it all started from a sermon from a Majid-i-Zarar. Seems like our biggest enemies are not the yahood-o-nasaara-o-hanood, but our fairweather friend Saudi Arab, and the we ourselves. Let's burn down our country.
I guess the deal that pmln made with the hard liners in punjab akn lej or punjab taliban who send there people all over sindh, kp, and balochistan has fallen apart and now they are attacking there people in there own localities
I hope the govt learns a lesson from this.
Looking at the picture above and the ones when some people attacked the Church in Lahore, it seems our people seem to take great pleasure in acts of violence and destruction. Their faces show a sense of liberation as they get a 'free time' out of their mundane and pathetic lives and resort to such madness. Sadistic and disturbing to see such expressions by seemingly 'normal people' in acts of terror and violence.
I don't think we realize that such tendencies are borne out of childhood experiences and early education. Revision of curriculum to allow for more tolerant and acceptable views and opinions of others, the ability to critically analyse events, situations and opinions is what we need to inculcate in children. Only last Eid ul Adha, I saw parents and uncles of two year olds letting the children go near the slaughtering area and on top of that once the qurbani was done, I was absolutely shocked to see the children carrying the heads of the slaughtered animals with their own hands and the 'elders' instead of taking notice seemed happy on their apparent 'daleri' (bravery). Even though story is off topic, my only intention of sharing this experience was to point out how certain experiences in childhood can create very negative tendencies in people in their adult lives, especially when it is devoid of proper education.
Punjab was always a ticking bomb. It will erupt anytime. The situation is dire and very troubling. Rana Sanaullah must be fired with immediate effect, and a full throttle action against all forms of violence, hate crime, fisad fil arz, incitement to crime and murder should be carried out. It will take one generation to clean this mess.
When we feel very desperate and cold-hearted but do not speak out, the consequence would eventually be that we pour out all the negative emotions at the wrong time and against the wrong person
this jumping guy looks funny! aren't we all muslims when we say the kalma? does that have no importance? even if we are not muslims can we not tolerate other religions? illiterate, uneducated people!
Fruits of Zia and the Saudi help. Strategic depth and Afghan jihad anyone?
Fruits of Zia and the Saudi help. Strategic depth and Afghan jihad anyone?
Allah,Peace be upon you and us.
The picture depicts anger. May Allah bless us with calmness,and peace for ALL!
I think intolerance is taking Pakistan to a new level of intolerance. Tautology.
Peace for ever. ..A non-Pakistani, wishing well.
ET: you should publish this for your own health and rest of humanity.
I think gov should allow the people to choose a place of worship outside the populated areas. especially rallies and big gatherings. this way security will be much easy to provide and chance of any culprits running from law will be minimized.
The Great People (peace be upon them)- in whose names/memory these processions are taken out and the things which are done in these days- will themselves be aghast...
ASWJ must be contained. Saudi sponsored terror is taking over the country.
Punjab, which remained the only state to be peaceful in Pakistan is up in flames and the same was on the expected lines due to PMLN unholy pre-poll alliance with sectarian parties, who are now demanding their piece of cake from the ruling party.
When did you hear last of Shia-Sunni clashes in India? At least I can not remember. Most of Hindu-Muslim riots are at best politically motivated for vote bank purpose. Accept it or not, Pakistan experiment has failed very badly almost on all fronts.
Why don't we carry out mourning processions,1350 years after the martydom of others..including Hazrat Umar(RA), Hazrat Uthman (RA)?
To save Pakistan's minorities from Genocide, Jinnah's 'Two Nation (community) Theory' should be re-applied to Pakistan.
now the ignorance of the people of the street will be reflected in the comments posted on ET. people will support/lambast sunnis,wahabis,shias and so on. do we realise that the Early Muslims did not force any community to accept Islam?have we forgotten that torturing oneself by knives and swords is not allowed?or it is not right that one goup of Sahaba should not be ridiculed by one sect and other group of Sahaba by another sect??
Keep fighting...