Groundswell of protests against Pindi unrest

RAWALPINDI/ KARACHI: Thousands of supporters of religious groups staged rallies in all major towns and cities of the country to denounce the Ashura day violence in Rawalpindi which had left nearly a dozen people dead and scores more injured. The protests, which were called by Wafaqul Madaris Al Arabia, an umbrella of mainly Deobandi seminaries, passed peacefully as no incident of violence was reported from anywhere in the country.

Rawalpindi, the city where last Friday’s violence took place, was tense ahead of the protest. The administration in Rawalpindi and Islamabad feared agitation from protesters who had flocked from all over Punjab. Riot policemen and paramilitary Rangers troops were deployed in large numbers while army troops were on call.

The Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) led the main protest in the garrison city. Supporters from other religious parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, attended the protest. Schools, shops and restaurants were closed while roads were deserted.

Addressing the protesters, ASWJ leader Maulana Ahmad Ludhianvi said: “We demand a ban on processions outside  worship places”. He had strictly asked his followers to remain peaceful and not to damage public or private properties.

In Islamabad too, dozens of ASWJ supporters marched from Lal Masjid to the National Press Club where the ASWJ deputy secretary general, Allam Masoodur Rehman Usmani, and other local leaders addressed them. In the twin cities, the organisers had assured the administration that the protesters would disperse peacefully.

The red zone – the high security area where key government buildings, including Parliament House, are located – was sealed off by police a day earlier. Heavy contingents of police were deployed at all entry and exit points of the city due to terrorist threats.

ASWJ also activists staged charged rallies in different cities of Balochistan – including Quetta, Dalbandin, Chaman, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Sibi, Dera Allahyar, Jhal Magsi and Bolan.  Local ASWJ leader Maulana Muhammad Ramzan Mengal called upon the government to bring the perpetrators to justice. “If the government doesn’t take action, we’ll consider it is siding with criminals,” he added.

The provincial administration had put in place stringent security measures throughout the province, especially in Quetta, to maintain order.

Similar protests were staged in Karachi, the biggest and most volatile city of the country. Despite fears of violence, the protests ended peacefully.

Law enforcers were on high alert, but religious groups sent out a message of sectarian harmony by marking their protests in a peaceful manner. However, local police claimed credit for peace during the protests which were orgainsed by Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), Sunni Tehreek, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan and Sunni Ittehad Council.

“Both Shias and Sunnis are brothers and we jointly condemn the Rawalpindi incident and its aftermath,” said MWM leader Allama Sadiq Raza Taqvi.

Similar protests were staged by ASWJ and MWM supporters outside the Lahore Press Club and Karbala Gamay Shah. Extraordinary security was seen at the protest venues. However, like elsewhere in the country, no violence was reported as the protesters dispersed peacefully after venting their anger at the tragedy.

Supporters of religious parties, including ASWJ, also staged rallies in Peshawar and other cities and towns of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. By and large, the protests remained peaceful, except one incident in which eight protesters were wounded when a police constable opened fire on an ASWJ protest.

While the errant constable was arrested, angry protesters threw stones at an Imambargah in retaliation. Police baton-charging the protesters in a bid to pre-empt any more trouble. The ASWJ denied involvement in the incident.

In a statement, Wafaqul Madaris chairperson Maulana Saleemullah Khan and other leaders expressed satisfaction over the peaceful protests.

In their instructions to mosques and seminaries, the Wafaq leaders called upon clerics to preach peace and restraint in the Juma sermons. They also advised the people to keep an eye on elements that could exploit the situation and use it for instigating violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 23^rd, 2013.