Walkthrough gates have been removed from around the venue of the Raiwind Tableeghi Ijtema and much of the security checks are being conducted by volunteers rather than policemen, The Express Tribune has learnt.
Some 400,000 people from around the country have arrived in the city for the Raiwind Ijtema, the biggest regular gathering of people in Pakistan, which is to be held in two sessions from November 17 to 20 and November 24 to 27.
A huge ‘tent city’ including a market with 400 makeshift shops and thousands of residential tents has been set up to accommodate the guests. Health authorities, police, Rescue 1122 and the city district government have also set up camps.
Many of the participants that have arrived over the last couple of days are from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
In its security plan, the police said that walkthrough gates would be set up at the entrances to the venue with special scaffolding to ensure that visitors queued up in orderly fashion. However, they were not in place on Thursday.
Saddar SP Shoaib Khurram Janbaz said that the walkthrough gates and scaffolding had been removed on the request of Tableegh security staff as they were a hindrance to participants.
He insisted that security had been kept very tight around the congregation. He said that 1,500 police officers were on duty in each shift at the site.
The five main entrances were manned by police and Tableeghi razakars, or volunteers, but it was the latter doing the checking while the cops stood and watched. The volunteers were also running 13 parking stands.
Several constables told The Express Tribune that they felt unwanted there. “I went to two places on security duty and both times the razakars told me to go away. They don’t want the police here,” said one constable.
Another constable complained about high dust levels, saying that they should be provided masks.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2011.
COMMENTS (29)
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@GA Munafiq is also a Muslim because he has recited Kalima. What I am trying to say is that by just reciting Kalima you don't become a true Muslim. People will call you a Muslim because of this but it does not make you a Muslim. You have to follow the orders of ALLAH "completely", not in parts. And this is the reason that I called Pakistan a Muslim country only by name because the qualities that should be in a Muslim are missing here. Hope you understood my point.
@Muhammed Usama Aziz: I think you got it wrong. Momin is a believer, and a Muslim is expected to be a believer. So a Muslim has to be a Momin (only); a Munafiq is a hypocrite who only pretends to believe and so is not a Muslim. That the Quran mention a Munafiq doesn't make him a Muslim. The Quran also makes mentions of Kufr or Kafirs - with your logic they would also then have to be called muslims
@GA Quran also gives the difference between a Momin and a Munafiq. They both are Muslims, but one is a true Muslim and other only pretends like a Muslim !! Quran clearly defines who is a Momin and who is a Munafiq. And you can clearly see how many Momins we have in Pakistan. May ALLAH guide us all.
@Muhammed Usama Aziz: This is hypocrisy; you are either a Muslim or you are not. Is this not what the Quran says?
@Aceleaf, I would recommend that attend one of these ijtimas (terrorists won't attack here inshaAllah, since according to you they are the ideological brethren) and listen to what is being said and then comment. I definitely think you will know the difference.
@ABC, it seems you did not attend otherwise you would not have said this
all thoes who speak against islam and tableegi jammat please clear your insane concepts. come to the ijtema and see your self what is being taught there. i invite all thoes who speak against the TJ to come and see your self.
@rizwan How do u came to know they are uneducated? If some of them are uneducated, does that mean all are uneducated? You will find there people from every profession. Doctors, Engineers, Businessman and so on. And certainly they can read and understand Quran. And what is preached in ijtimah is certainly not outside of Quran. You certainly need to get your facts right.
Mashallah great to see these peoples.
@Muhammed Usama Aziz: It is a collective way of life? Why would anyone allow uneducated people to tell them how to live their life? They dont understand what is written in the Quran. They cant read whats written in the Quran, but yet, by virtue of the fact that they have beards, they can tell people how to live their life? Using this logic, I would expect you to have your tooth extracted by the dinks who sit on the footpath outside the Lahore Railway Station!
Education will get us out of this mess when people would be able to read and UNDERSTAND whats written in the Holy Book. By supporting such conventions you are supporting rituals whereby ignoring the original message. The first word of the Quran says it all.
@SKATZ I didn't say it is orders from ALLAH to attend ijtimah. ALLAH order's us to live our life according to Islamic teachings and in ijtimah we are only preached the teachings of ALLAH. As for the focus on 97%, first be a good Muslim yourselves, than preach non-Muslims about Islam. How can we tell them to convert to Islam till we ourselves are not good enough !! For your second question, only Huqooq-ALLAH is a personal matter, not Huqooq-ul-Ibad. If a person tells lie and cheats his/her customers, its effects are reflected in the whole society. Islam is not a personal religion. It iss a collective way of life. May ALLAH guide us all.
how many ijtemas raise their voice against murderers of people from Hazara on ethnic basis? these people share same ideology with the taliban terrorists! breeds of nawaz and zia ul haq!! huh!!
@Abdullah: It would be interesting if u name one they spared. The mosques, shrines , shopping centers, political parties, noted individuals, minorities, schools, defense, police and religious leaders(condeming terror) are victims. Who except TJ(tablighis) and takfiris spared.
@Muhammed Usama Aziz: And therein lies my other problem with the Tableeghi Jamaat, since when has attending the Ijtema become "Orders from Allah"... The TJ has no interest in converting people to Muslims which is why they continue to focus on the 97%, its only mandate is to increase its membership like any old boy's club....which is what they focus on.
Secondly, I don't think you or for that matter anyone else is qualified to tell people that they are Muslims "only in name"... Islam as a religion puts an increasing onus on a person's relationship with his Maker... It is Allah's perogative to judge man not anyone else's.
Like I said it is this bigoted world-view being preached at all levels in our society which is now manifesting itself in this sensless violence and collective insecurity.
Bangladesh is giving utmost services to visitors of their ijtema at Tungi. Pakistan can also improve its arrangements by government involvement as this will also lead to a safe and peaceful religious tourism in Pakistan. This will be good for the image of Pakistan and will help spread message of tolerance in the world.
@Aceleaf, there are many others who have been spared by the terrorists, so all of them will become their idealogical brethren ?
@Sultan Mehmood, Alhamdulillah, it is Allah who protects whom He wants to
@Naeem Siddiqui: It is population explosion expressed in another way.
@GA @SKATZ As I said only by name. Only reciting kalimah does not make you a complete Muslim. You have to obey the Orders of ALLAH and obeying does not mean only to pray Namaz, Fast etc. It includes how we behave with others i.e. Huqooq-ul-Ibad, our daily life, how we do business and many more. It is a complete code of life and unfortunately this code of life is missing in Pakistan. Islam has just remain a name rather than a way to live. As regards to @SKATZ second question, yes evil exist around the world. No country is completely free from it. And this exactly is the reason of this ijtamah at Raiwind. If we follow the orders of ALLAH, then these evil will be removed from the world.
@ Muhammad Usama Aziz: So now we don't have Muslims in Pakistan because we have adultery, lies and corruption... Please name me one Muslim or for that matter any country that has completely eradicated these evils...
This is the same bigoted outlook that makes outfits like the TJ and subsequently the terrorist accompaniments thrive in this great country of ours....
@Muhammed Usama Aziz: So you mean Pakistan has no right to be called 'Islamic republic' of Pakistan? And that those who live in Pakistan are not Muslims? I
@ Naeem Siddiqui Yes, there are 97% Muslims but only by name. A Muslim does not indulge in corruption A Muslim does not take bribe A Muslim does not indulge in adultery A Muslim does not lie but if u look in PAKISTAN these things are so common. If there were Muslims here, i doubt we wont have these things.
@Sultan Mehmood: I have no problems identifying terrorists, their brethren & sympathizers. Anyway, calling someone Hindu, Jew or Christian would not change facts.
It is nothing to worry about security of Tablighi Jamat. The terrorists are their idealogical brethren. In the past they enjoyed complete immunity from terrorists. Hopefully terrorist will continue to respect them.
Welcome to all guest of Allah..I salute to all those who participate in such type of ijtama.They are real heros of Islam.Tablighi Jamat is spreading islam on its true spirit.