Caretaker decries lack of security at Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai's shrine

Syed Waqar Hussain Shah claims government did not fulfil its promises

HYDERABAD: The sajjada nasheen (caretaker) of Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai's shrine has raised alarm over security threats to Sindh's second biggest shrine in the wake of the terrorist attack on Hazrat Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's shrine. At a press conference on Sunday, Syed Waqar Hussain Shah alleged that the provincial government has failed to implement the security measures at Bhitai's shrine in Bhit Shah that were announced after the Sehwan blast on February 16 this year.

"My life is also under threat. The government has done nothing for the security of the shrines and their caretakers," he lamented. Shah added that the Islamic month of Muharram was soon to come, in which the annual urs celebrations of Bhitai take place. However, security at the shrine was not enhanced.

"The government does not appear to be serious about security of the shrines and the gaddi nasheen ", Shah claimed, adding that time and again he has approached the authorities to implement security measures but the needful has not been done.



According to him, the government had failed to honour its pledge to implement multi-layered security at the shrine, which would include construction of iron grills, reinforcement of the compound walls, installation of walk-through gates and closed-circuit television cameras. "None of those plans have been implemented so far," he said.

Shah made an appeal to the Chief of Army Staff to take notice of the security lapses at the shrine of Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai. He also expressed support for operation Raddul Fassad and demanded that the authorities oversee seminaries in Sindh that preach extremism.