Wild goose chase: Police mosque raid stymied in ruckus over boots inside
SHO denies being taken hostage in Orangi, looking for Taliban.
KARACHI:
Pirabad’s Station House Officer Pervez Gujjar had a nightmarish Sunday night in Orangi - not just because of the criminals he was out to fight, but the media all night long, leading TV channels gave the impression that policemen were taken hostage when they went after a senior commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, supposedly hiding in a mosque.
The police officer says that contrary to all TV reports there was no TTP commander hiding in the mosque. “There was a grenade attack outside a medical store in Orangi a couple of days back,” he told The Express Tribune. “I had information that a suspect involved in the incident may have been on the rooftop of the mosque.” Gujjar gathered his men and immediately went on a raid.
According to him, when the people saw the police force entering the mosque, supposedly with their boots on, they all began to gather outside. “And thanks to the electronic media our situation got worse because they said that we had no respect for mosques.” It didn’t help that the media said, completely out of the blue, that they were after a TTP commander.
When the crowd’s mood turned ugly outside, the SHO chose to stay inside the under-construction mosque. “My men were pushed and shoved, and one of our police mobile vans was even damaged,” he said.
Gujjar blames the Tayyaba mosque administrators for instigating people by saying that the respect of the place of worship had been compromised since they didn’t take off their shoes before entering for the raid. “We are Muslims too and know how to maintain the dignity of a mosque,” he shot back. His men went to the roof by the staircase which runs outside the prayer space.
“But all of this was blown out of proportion and the next thing I know, hundreds of people had gathered outside,” he said. A jaded Gujjar then chose to sit inside the mosque and wait until the tempers calmed down. As for the suspects, he said: “What arrests? All the suspects took advantage of the situation and escaped.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2011.
Pirabad’s Station House Officer Pervez Gujjar had a nightmarish Sunday night in Orangi - not just because of the criminals he was out to fight, but the media all night long, leading TV channels gave the impression that policemen were taken hostage when they went after a senior commander of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, supposedly hiding in a mosque.
The police officer says that contrary to all TV reports there was no TTP commander hiding in the mosque. “There was a grenade attack outside a medical store in Orangi a couple of days back,” he told The Express Tribune. “I had information that a suspect involved in the incident may have been on the rooftop of the mosque.” Gujjar gathered his men and immediately went on a raid.
According to him, when the people saw the police force entering the mosque, supposedly with their boots on, they all began to gather outside. “And thanks to the electronic media our situation got worse because they said that we had no respect for mosques.” It didn’t help that the media said, completely out of the blue, that they were after a TTP commander.
When the crowd’s mood turned ugly outside, the SHO chose to stay inside the under-construction mosque. “My men were pushed and shoved, and one of our police mobile vans was even damaged,” he said.
Gujjar blames the Tayyaba mosque administrators for instigating people by saying that the respect of the place of worship had been compromised since they didn’t take off their shoes before entering for the raid. “We are Muslims too and know how to maintain the dignity of a mosque,” he shot back. His men went to the roof by the staircase which runs outside the prayer space.
“But all of this was blown out of proportion and the next thing I know, hundreds of people had gathered outside,” he said. A jaded Gujjar then chose to sit inside the mosque and wait until the tempers calmed down. As for the suspects, he said: “What arrests? All the suspects took advantage of the situation and escaped.”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 4th, 2011.