Security concerns: Manghopir shrine reopens for devotees
20 young residents volunteer to work as guards.
KARACHI:
Sakhi Sultan’s shrine at Manghopir has finally been opened for the public after three months. It was closed after the bomb blast at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine on October 7, 2010, in which at least eight people were killed.
According to the Auqaf department, the decision to close the shrine for pilgrims was taken because of threats of terrorism. “The security at the shrine still remains a matter of grave concern, as no extraordinary measures have been taken yet,” an official said.
The shrine’s administration has for now deployed some young men as volunteers to fill the security gap. The People’s Aman (Peace) Committee’s Shahid Baloch from the area said that a group of nearly 20 men, who are members of the committee, have started performing security duty.
Syed Ashfaq Shah of the Auqaf department, who supervises the affairs of the shrine, said that the government and security agencies had warned that terrorists could strike this shrine.
Around 200 to 300 devotees used to visit the shrine on regular days, while the number of visitors rises to around 2,000 on Thursdays and Sundays. “But not a single devotee was allowed to enter the shrine’s premises during the last three months,” he added.
The closure had worried not just the visitors and devotees but also the sacred crocodiles, which live in the pond at the bottom of the shrine.
The pond, which is nourished by an underground stream, is home to around 200 of the reptiles.
Most of the devotees visit these crocodiles and feed them fresh meat in return for both answered and asked prayers.
“They were hungry during these last few months since they were not getting enough fresh meat.
Before the closure, devotees would feed them ample food every day,” said Shah, adding that although the shrine’s caretakers also feed the crocodiles, it is not enough.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2011.
Sakhi Sultan’s shrine at Manghopir has finally been opened for the public after three months. It was closed after the bomb blast at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine on October 7, 2010, in which at least eight people were killed.
According to the Auqaf department, the decision to close the shrine for pilgrims was taken because of threats of terrorism. “The security at the shrine still remains a matter of grave concern, as no extraordinary measures have been taken yet,” an official said.
The shrine’s administration has for now deployed some young men as volunteers to fill the security gap. The People’s Aman (Peace) Committee’s Shahid Baloch from the area said that a group of nearly 20 men, who are members of the committee, have started performing security duty.
Syed Ashfaq Shah of the Auqaf department, who supervises the affairs of the shrine, said that the government and security agencies had warned that terrorists could strike this shrine.
Around 200 to 300 devotees used to visit the shrine on regular days, while the number of visitors rises to around 2,000 on Thursdays and Sundays. “But not a single devotee was allowed to enter the shrine’s premises during the last three months,” he added.
The closure had worried not just the visitors and devotees but also the sacred crocodiles, which live in the pond at the bottom of the shrine.
The pond, which is nourished by an underground stream, is home to around 200 of the reptiles.
Most of the devotees visit these crocodiles and feed them fresh meat in return for both answered and asked prayers.
“They were hungry during these last few months since they were not getting enough fresh meat.
Before the closure, devotees would feed them ample food every day,” said Shah, adding that although the shrine’s caretakers also feed the crocodiles, it is not enough.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 18th, 2011.